El papa Francisco con este solidario hombre arañaMassimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
El papa Francisco ha recibido a numerosas personalidades, pero la de este miércoles ha sido particularmente inesperada. En el patio de San Dámaso, y ante una sorprendida audiencia, el pontífice ha conocido a Spiderman. No se trata de un acto promocional ni nada por el estilo. Bajo la máscara del hombre araña se esconde Mattia Villardita, un voluntario de 27 años conocido en Italia por acudir a los hospitales para animar a los niños enfermos.
Según recoge el portal Vatican News, Villardita ha hecho aparición en la icónica plaza y se ha acercado al papa Francisco con el objetivo de charlar con él y hacerle entrega de un obsequio. “Quería donar mi máscara de Spiderman al santo padre por un valor simbólico, porque veo el sufrimiento de los niños y las familias todos los días a través de la máscara de mi disfraz”, ha explicado en una entrevista recogida por este medio especializado en El Vaticano.
Los verdaderos superhéroes son los niños y sus familias que me encuentro en los pabellones donde todos libran su propia batalla
Mattia Villardita, el Spiderman solidario de Italia
Sin más superpoder que su altruismo, Mattia lleva 4 años arrancando sonrisas a los pequeños pacientes, un gesto que le ha llevado a recibir la Orden al Mérito de la República Italiana, de manos del presidente Sergio Matarella. “Solo soy un chico con un bonito disfraz”, ha asegurado este particular Spiderman. “Los verdaderos superhéroes son los niños y sus familias que me encuentro en los pabellones donde todos libran su propia batalla todos los días”, ha añadido Mattia Villardita.
El centro de atención
Tras esperar pacientemente su turno para ser bendecido -eso sí, realizando videollamadas con niños ingresados en centros médicos-, el Spiderman italiano ha desvelado lo que le comentó el pontífice, tras estrecharle la mano. “Me preguntó si podía ir a tomar algunas fotos con los niños presentes porque había escuchado que me llamaban por mi nombre”, ha asegurado el joven bajo la máscara. Esta vez el centro de atención en El Vaticano no era Francisco.
Papa Francisco y los bebés
Pope Francis holds up a baby upon his arrival for the weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ALTERNATIVE CROP OF AJM103 Pope Francis adjusts a baby's hood as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 10, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 13: Pope Francis kisses a baby during an audience with Scouts in St. Peter's Square on June 13, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pontiff met this morning with thousands of members of the Association of Italian Catholi...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 14: Pope Francis greets a baby as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for a meeting with the Roman Diocesans on June 14, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Pontiff invited everyone to pay attention to environmental iss...
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 17, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis holds a baby as he leaves the cathedral after holding a mass and blessing the city on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending fou...
PHILADELPHIA, USA - SEPTEMBER 26: Pope Francis blesses a baby from the crowd with a kiss as he arrives at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, USA on September 26, 2015. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pope Francis kisses a baby at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (David Swanson/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is in Philadelphia for the last leg of his six-day visit to the U.S. (Photo bt Alex Br...
In this photo taken on Saturday Sept. 26, 2015 Pope Francis kisses a baby on his way to the Indipendence Mall in Philadelphia. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis looks to a baby that he just kissed as he pauses in the popemobile during a parade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis holds the head of a baby as he stands in the popemobile during a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 in Philadelphia. The pope will end the final day of his three-city U.S. tour with a Mass on Philadelphi...
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Pope Francis caresses a baby after his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis holds up a baby upon his arrival for the weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
ALTERNATIVE CROP OF AJM103 Pope Francis adjusts a baby's hood as he arrives for his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 10, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 13: Pope Francis kisses a baby during an audience with Scouts in St. Peter's Square on June 13, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pontiff met this morning with thousands of members of the Association of Italian Catholi...
Pope Francis blesses a baby as he arrives for an audience with the participants at the Convention of Rome Diocese at St Peter's square on June 14, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONT...
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JUNE 14: Pope Francis greets a baby as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for a meeting with the Roman Diocesans on June 14, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. The Pontiff invited everyone to pay attention to environmental iss...
Pope Francis blesses a baby during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on June 17, 2015 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pope Francis holds a baby as he leaves the cathedral after holding a mass and blessing the city on September 22, 2015 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Pope Francis leaves for the United States after spending fou...
PHILADELPHIA, USA - SEPTEMBER 26: Pope Francis blesses a baby from the crowd with a kiss as he arrives at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, USA on September 26, 2015. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pope Francis kisses a baby at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (David Swanson/Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is in Philadelphia for the last leg of his six-day visit to the U.S. (Photo bt Alex Br...
In this photo taken on Saturday Sept. 26, 2015 Pope Francis kisses a baby on his way to the Indipendence Mall in Philadelphia. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis looks to a baby that he just kissed as he pauses in the popemobile during a parade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis holds the head of a baby as he stands in the popemobile during a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 in Philadelphia. The pope will end the final day of his three-city U.S. tour with a Mass on Philadelphi...
Pope Francis kisses a baby as he pauses in popemobile during a parade along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate Mass. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)