Children Celebrate Pope Francis's 87th Birthday

Pope Francis, the Pope of the Vatican, celebrated his 87th birthday today, Sunday, with children who helped him blow out a candle on a white cake. The children from the pediatric clinic run by the Vatican sang to the Pope and presented him with a bouquet of sunflowers. Later, during a traditional event marking the Christmas season and in his weekly address at St. Peter’s Square, the Pope blessed small statues depicting the infant Christ held by children who will place them in nativity scenes in their homes. Dozens of children in the square shouted "Buon Compleanno," which means happy birthday in Italian, and raised signs bearing the same greeting. Pope Francis was born on December 17, 1936, in Argentina to Italian immigrant parents. He was chosen by the cardinals as the first Pope from Latin America on March 13, 2013. In a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent greetings to the Pope and thanked him for his "deep commitment to peace."