To think that someone should tell the Pope...

Sorry - overcome there for a moment...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2568271/Francis-kisses-mini-pope-Carnival-starts.html

Poor little mite. dressed up in odd clothes and handed over to a strange man. No wonder he bawled. He could be marked for life.

Looks like it's just a pick up and hug photo opportunity. Parents want their little dears to be blessed by 'Papa' but to dress the poor child like that is a bit strange. Mama obviously has high hopes for little Daniele. Oh, and it's the DM

Well, to be fair it did happen, Gally.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with that! Very sweet! Trust a kid to go and spoil it though.

Jingle

the photo was in lots of papers, but the DM had one of his not crying as well.

He's just a man. I wonder if the mother would hand her child over to any other man. Poor boy I bet he wondered what was happening to him.

Oh I don't know. It's cultural innit? They do things different in Italy.

Remember whatshisface giving his kid a beef burger?

MiceElf. Can you get non variant CJD if the pope kisses you??

At least it was his own child!

No Merlot. The Pope's not a Tory.

Ana ?
Obviously it happened - there are photos! I don't know what your point is

I must say that I thought the outfit was des trop. (Well, something like that anyway)

PS The child's outfit that is, the pope has to wear that.

Why does the Pope have to wear that? Why can't he wear an ordinary pair of trousers and a shirt? There's nothing magical about his frock. This is the twenty-first century.

I suppose it's because it's traditional. Bit like a wig and gown in court, but not quite as daft as Victoria Beckham's high heels.

Can't see a problem here. All over Europe children are dressing up in weird and wonderful clothes for the carnival processions. Almost every shop sells costumes. For the family it would have been a huge honour for the pope to bless the child.

Agree with dd.

Absent do you object to C of E clergyman robes? Think coronation and suchlike. Shame to do away with the beautiful and different things in life.

Better than that grim Easter march in ?Italy where children watch their fathers crawl about on bits of broken glass and the aforementioned dads talk of how proud they will be when their sons do it. Yuk!

Imagine the Kings Carol Service with the priest and choir boys in shirts and trousers.

How is the Pope kissing/blessing a child any different from a politician kissing a baby? Or is this just about bashing the Catholic faith

No, don't see why anyone would want a politician to kiss their child either.

I just thought that given the fact that he is under fire (from the United Nations, no less) for not actually getting rid of the many paedophiles in the church, then going round kissing children was the worse possible kind of PR. Thought he was good at PR til now.

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/05/un-denounces-vatican-child-abuse