Manila, Philippines, Jan 17, 2015 / 21:14 pm
Pope Francis praised Filipino former homeless girl Glyzelle Palomar for asking why God allows children to suffer, saying her tearful question shows that Christians must "learn how to weep."
The 12-year-old Glyzelle burst into tears as she recounted her experience to the Pope on Sunday: "there are many children neglected by their own parents. There are also many who became victims and many terrible things happened to them like drugs or prostitution."
"Why is God allowing such things to happen, even if it is not the fault of the children? And why are there only very few people helping us?" she asked.
Her comments followed an affecting testimony from a former homeless boy, 14-year-old Jun Chura, during a youth meeting on the campus of Manila's Santo Tomas University Jan. 18.