A NEW Spider-Man sequel? A Pope joining the new Avengers team?
A friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man was seen in San Damaso Courtyard shaking hands with Pope Francis at his weekly audience on Wednesday leaving many scratching their heads.
The man under the mask is not Peter Parker, as many suspected, but Mattia Villardita.
Mr Villardita dresses up as the web-slinging superhero to visit sick children in hospitals across Italy.
“But the real superheroes are the children who are suffering and their families who are fighting with so much hope,” Mr Villardita told Vatican News.
He even continued his visits during the pandemic.
“I did more than 1400 video-calls, as I could not go in person,” Mr Villardita said.
His appearance at the Pope’s audience saw lots of selfies and fit perfectly into Pope Francis’ message for the day – evangelisation means following unexpected paths.
“There is a temptation to close oneself up in some of the certainties acquired in past traditions,” Pope Francis said.
Pointing out that the teaching of Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Galatians “will help us to understand which path to follow,” Pope Francis underlined that it is the “liberating and ever-new path of Jesus, Crucified and Risen”.
“It is the path of proclamation, which is achieved through humility and fraternity; it is the path of meek and obedient trust, in the certainty that the Holy Spirit works in the Church in every age,” he said.
