Pope Francis has met Spider-Man at the Vatican, and he was gifted his very own Marvel superhero mask.
The Pope, 84, met the superhero character at the end of the weekly audience in the Vatican’s San Damaso Courtyard, and Spider-Man did not come to see the head of the Catholic church empty-handed, per New York Post.
Spider-Man came to the event dressed head to toe in his signature red and blue suit, and the news outlet reports that he was seated in the "VIP section" prior to meeting Pope Francis, who greeted him with a smile.
The man behind the mask was later unveiled by Reuters to be Mattia Villardita, 27, from northern Italy.
Watch the heartwarming moment the Pope met Spider-Man below:Spider-Man was seated next to a priest in the VIP area, who seemed completely unphased by the rather unusual character who had turned up for an audience with the Pope.
Villardita had been invited to the event in recognition of the work he has done for sick children by dressing up as superhero characters.
Per BBC, Villardita told the Italian media of his philanthropic work: "When you're in a hospital, you see the world through a different lens and appreciate small things in life.
"Many people don't realize how lucky they really are. So I felt this inner urge to do something, a mission almost."
This is not the first time that Villardita's work with sick children has been recognized and last year, he was given a special award by the Italian prime minister.
Per BBC, the 27-year-old didn't stop his good work during the pandemic, either, and he continued to brighten the lives of sick children through video calls.
"I did more than 1,400 video calls, as I could not go in person," Villardita told Vatican News, as per the Catholic Leader.
"But the real superheroes are the children who are suffering and their families who are fighting with so much hope," he said.
The Catholic Leader said Spider-Man's appearance fit in perfectly with the Pope's message for the day - evangelization can mean taking unexpected paths.
"There is a temptation to close oneself up in some of the certainties acquired in past traditions," Pope Francis said.
