The Pope gives us some magical moments, and on his recent historic visit to the United States, he was not short of miraculous. According to one Philadelphia family, he kissed their daughter and blessed her immensely.

Kristen Masciantonio and her husband, Joe, attended the papal parade downtown Philadelphia, near Independence Hall in September with their daughter 1-year-old, Gianna Masciantonio. Gianna has a rare, inoperable brain tumor. Her blood cells attacked her brain stem weeks after birth.

While at the parade, Gianna’s dad held her over the barricade, and the guards carried her over to the Popemobile. There, Pope Francis gave her a kiss on the head. Her parents are calling what happened after that kiss “the miracle on Market Street,” the place where the meeting occurred.

In a scan one month prior to the encounter with the Pope, the tumor was visibly large, but in scans from late November the tumor was hard to detect. Gianna’s mother told local news, “She’s getting better and stronger. She’s blowing kisses. She’s started to point, started pointing at things.”

Her parents believe that the kiss is to credit for her fast recovery. “I, I think this is all from God. This, you know. The pope was a messenger from God,” Joe Masciantonio said. According to local reports, Joe said his daughter spent the first eight months of her life in hospice care.” Now, Gianna’s parents say her future is a bright one.

“Last year was about living in honor of her. Now we’re going to get to live with her.”

What a blessing!

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