Lima, Peru, May 15, 2018 / 16:00 pm
A priest who recently welcomed a newborn with Down syndrome into the children's home he runs says that child is a gift from God.
The priest is Fr. Omar Sanchez Portillo, the director of the Home of the Association of the Beatitudes, located in the Lurín district of Lima, Peru. On his 51st birthday, Portillo was contacted by a social worker about a two-month-old baby with Down syndrome who was in need of a home. The child's mother, only a teenager herself, was unable to care for him.
Portillo named the child Ismael.
"Thank you Jesus for the gift you have given me for my birthday! You never cease to surprise me, my Jesus. Welcome Ismael! Bringing you from Cusco has been a complete adventure, the first of many we're going to share together. Chromosome of love, Downs Syndrome," the priest posted on his Facebook page.