In a powerful display of humility that stunned Vatican onlookers and lit up social media worldwide, newly elected Pope Leo XIV abruptly halted his ceremonial popemobile ride on inauguration day—just to climb down and embrace a disabled child in the crowd.
The moment unfolded just after noon, as the pontiff’s sleek, glass-domed vehicle rolled slowly through St. Peter’s Square amid roaring applause. The crowd, estimated by Reuters to be over 80,000, was jubilant. Papal guards flanked the moving vehicle, scanning for threats. But Pope Leo spotted something they missed—a small child in a wheelchair being held up by his father, waving a simple cardboard sign that read, “Pope, please bless Luca.”
Without a word, Pope Leo tapped twice on the glass, motioned to his guards, and ordered the vehicle to stop. Cameras from CNN captured the surreal moment: the 78-year-old pontiff stepping down onto the cobblestone street, walking directly into the cheering throng, and kneeling before the boy.
The boy, later identified as 8-year-old Luca di Stefano from Bologna, suffers from a rare neurological disorder. His father, Marco di Stefano, told BBC News through tears: “We never thought he would even notice us. But he did. And he came straight to us like a grandfather.”
The Vatican released a short clip of the moment on their official Twitter account, showing Pope Leo placing his forehead gently against Luca’s and whispering a silent blessing. The image has since gone viral, reposted by global figures including the Dalai Lama, U2’s Bono, and even NBA star Steph Curry, who wrote: “Real leadership looks like this.”
A Vatican spokesperson confirmed to The New York Times that the stop was entirely unplanned. “It was spontaneous, pure, and very much who he is,” they said. “He saw suffering and he went toward it. That’s the message he wants the Church to send.”
The crowd around Luca’s family erupted into sobs and shouts of gratitude. One elderly woman nearby fainted. A priest watching from the edge of the barricade told National Catholic Reporter, “I’ve been here for five popes. I’ve never seen anything like this. This was not theater—it was Christ-like.”
Pope Leo, whose pastoral reputation was well-known in Sicily long before he became pontiff, has made a habit of showing up where he’s least expected. In 2019, he famously walked into a Palermo drug rehab center without warning and washed the feet of recovering addicts. That story, shared again by The Guardian after Sunday’s moment, helped contextualize why his papacy is already being described as “radically human.”
Onlookers near the barricades recorded the crowd chanting “Papa Leo! Papa Leo!” as the pontiff climbed back into the popemobile, his eyes visibly wet. Social media exploded. The clip became the No. 1 trending video globally on TikTok within hours, with one caption simply reading: “This is why we still believe.”
Actor Mark Ruffalo reposted the clip with the caption, “What would Jesus do? That.” Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared it with the words, “In a world of leaders seeking power, he seeks the powerless.”
The gesture has also ignited conversations about Pope Leo’s broader vision for the Church. During his inaugural address the day before, he warned against “a Church that forgets how to kneel.” Now, commentators from The Wall Street Journal to Al Jazeera are linking his words to action.
Vatican correspondent Elisabetta Povoledo noted in her column for The Los Angeles Times: “He didn’t just speak about mercy. He enacted it. That is the substance of what people remember.”
Church groups across the globe are now using Luca’s blessing as a symbolic call to reinvigorate ministry to the sick and forgotten. A youth group in Manila, inspired by the moment, announced they would start weekly hospital visits, while parishes in South America are sharing the image with sermon guides titled “Blessing Like Leo.”
Luca’s family later spoke on a livestream organized by Rome Reports, saying they felt like “the world stood still” during the brief encounter. Luca, who is mostly nonverbal, reached out to grab the pope’s hand and refused to let go.
As of Sunday night, thousands of letters have poured into the Vatican addressed to “Pope Leo—The One Who Stopped.” Papal aides say they’ve had to assign extra staff just to handle the response.
The last time a pope stepped off the popemobile during an inauguration was never. Not even Pope John Paul II, known for his global charisma, broke security protocol during his first procession. “This will go down in Church history,” said Catholic theologian Father Dan Horan in a segment for MSNBC. “He has redefined what papal
