In a brief outdoor ceremony, Pope Francis administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 16-year-old Giuseppe Chiolo, who had come to the Vatican by ambulance from Florence.
Chiolo, who is being treated in the oncology ward of a Florence hospital, had written to Pope Francis with a request to meet him.
The teenager was given his wish, and the sacrament, on September 10 before the Pope joined about 30,000 people for a special Year of Mercy general audience in St Peter's Square.
The young man's parents, Carmelo and Maria Giuseppina, and his sister, Dafne, also were present, as was the chaplain of Meyer Children's Hospital, where Chiolo is receiving treatment.
