Vatican City, Dec 16, 2018 / 15:05 pm
Ahead of his 82nd birthday, Pope Francis held a party and ate birthday cake with children under the care of a free health clinic inside the Vatican.
The celebration took place inside the Paul VI hall before the Sunday Angelus. It included a surprise birthday cake for Pope Francis, whose Dec. 17 birthday falls on Monday. Joined by the children's families, the Pope spent about an hour with children receiving care at the "Santa Marta" Pediatric Dispensary. In addition to dessert, there was singing and music at the papal audience.
"I'm happy to be with you. I wish you a Merry Christmas, a good holy Christmas to all, and I thank you very much for what you do, really," the Pope said. "And, also, I hope that there is no indigestion with that cake so big!"
A sign hung on the table holding the Pope's cake read: "We cannot get used to the situations of degradation and misery that surround us. A Christian must react."