Pope Francis blows out a candle on a 13-foot-long pizza during a special meeting to celebrate his 81st birthday Dec. 17 at the Vatican’s Paul VI hall. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)
By Junno Arocho Esteves
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Celebrating his 81st birthday, Pope Francis blew out the candles on a 13-foot long pizza after being serenaded with song and dance by children and employees from a Vatican pediatric clinic.
A group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican’s St. Martha Dispensary, a maternal and pediatric clinic, had given the pope a birthday party Dec. 17 marked with singing, dancing and a cake adorned with gold and white fondant decorations.
They also rolled out a large pizza with a single lit candle on it. The pope was joined with several children from the clinic and counted down before blowing out the candle.
“Eat the 4-meter pizza: Eat well, it will do you good and make you grow,” the pope told the children.
The pope said their joy was a gift and is like “good earth that makes life grow with good fruits.”
“Do not make children sad. When children see that there are problems at home, that their parents are fighting, they suffer,” he said. “They must always grow with joy.”
After meeting the children, Pope Francis greeted an estimated 25,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address.
After reciting the Angelus prayer, the pope was about to greet several individual groups present in the square before the crowd burst into song, singing “Happy Birthday.”
Touched by the gesture, the pope said: “Thank you. Thank you very much.”