Pope Francis received an unexpected visit from Spider-Man

The superhero remained the whole General Audience seated a few meters from the Pope, in the so-called “Bacciamano”, completely disguised as Spider-Man and surrounded by special and religious guests.

At the end of his catechesis, the Pope greeted “Spider-Man”, presented him with a rosary and received a mask of the superhero.

But who was sheathed in the tight red and blue suit? No, it’s not about Peter Parker but about Italian Mattia Villardita, a young man of 27, who for years has played the role of the character to visit sick children in hospitals.

Last year Villardita received an award from the Italian President for his solidarity work Sergio Mattarella.

The young man confessed that he dresses as Spiderman “To make the little ones who are in the hospital smile, I do it because I have a congenital disease and I spent 19 years at the Gaslini hospital in Genoa ”. He also added that while he spent his hospitalizations alone in the hospital, “I would have loved to see Spider-Man come in through my bedroom window.”.

“The real superheroes are the children who suffer and their neighbors who fight with so much hope“said Mattia.