Vatican City, Feb 28, 2021 / 07:00 am
Pope Francis prayed Sunday for children suffering from rare diseases that they may feel "the caress of God's love and tenderness."
"Today is World Rare Disease Day," Pope Francis said from the window of the Apostolic Palace Feb. 28 as he waved to people holding banners and cheering in St. Peter's Square.
"I greet the members of some associations involved in this field, who have come to the piazza," he said. "In the case of rare diseases, the solidarity network between family members, fostered by these associations, is more important than ever. It helps to not feel alone and to exchange experience and advice."
There are more than 6,000 diseases that are classified as rare of which 70% begin in childhood, according to research recently published in the European Journal of Human Genetics.