Pope Francis Celebrated 81st Birthday with a Pizza Party with Kids
Pope Francis turned 81-years-old last Sunday, Dec. 17 and he celebrated the milestone with a pizza party. The pontiff shared several 13-foot long pizzas among a group of kids the Vatican invited from a nearby pediatric clinic and it was a birthday like no other.
Thousands of children gathered at St. Peter's Square to wish the Pope a happy birthday. The pontiff waved at the crowd from his window and kept mouthing, "Thanks a lot." Later, he joined his well-wishers for the Angelus before partaking on the birthday feast.
The kids, along with some adults, shared slices from a rectangular pizza stretched 13-feet long. The pizza had a single white candle in the middle and photos from the party showed the Pope blowing his birthday candle. The pontiff also had a birthday cake with his image drawn by Italian street artist Mauro Pallotta.
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The Pope apparently encouraged the kids to eat their pizza as it is good food. His love for the Italian dish is quite well-known.
"The only thing I would like is to go out one day, without being recognized, and go to a pizzeria for a pizza," Pope Francis once said in an interview. It prompted Vincenzo Cacialli and Antonio Greco from Naples' Don Erneso restaurant to hand-deliver a pizza to the Pope while he made his rounds in the Pope Mobile.
The Pope also advised the kids at his birthday party to constantly talk to God, as well as respect and care for their grandparents. He reminded the children that their grandparents gave them roots from which to grow. After the feast, the crowd at the Pope's party lined up so he can personally bless them.
Last year, Pope Francis celebrated his birthday with the homeless for breakfast. The year before that, he had the crowd dancing to tango at the St. Peter's Square.
