When Vinicio Riva traveled to Vatican City in early November to meet Pope Francis, he expected the same treatment he’s gotten his entire life—open-mouthed stares and thinly-veiled apprehension. People are usually afraid to come close to the hundreds of boils that cover Riva’s body, fearing that his very presence could make them sick, too.
The man thought that the Pope would speak to his aunt, who made the pilgrimage with him. He thought he would only get a cursory glance.
But instead, Francis headed straight towards Riva, wrapped his arms around the man’s head and pulled him in for a tight embrace.
It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
“He didn’t have any fear of my illness,” the 53-year-old told CNN. “He embraced me without speaking … I quivered. I felt a great warmth.”
The encounter with the pontiff lasted for just over a minute, but aunt Caterina Lotta says her nephew still feels the reverberations.
“He was almost not himself,” Lotta said. “He was shaking.”
Riva was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 when he was just 15 years old. The illness left him with tumors all over his body that swell and itch. His undershirt is often soaked with the blood that oozes out of his sores.
The disease is genetic and not contagious. Riva’s mom and sister were diagnosed with milder forms of it. But according to Dr. Gary Goldenberg, an assistant professor of dermatology and pathology at Mount Sinai, the psychological effects of the disease does the most damage.
“It is a devastating condition,” Goldenberg, who has treated patients with neurofibromatosis, told The News. “A lot of them don’t want to go outside because they have tumors all over their bodies. These patients suffer quite a bit.”
Riva has managed to find some happiness doing odd jobs at a senior citizen’s home. He collects and throws out trash. And when he finds a friendly person who can overlook his skin condition, he likes to chat about Juventus, his favorite soccer team.
But not everyone is so kind.
His father lives in the senior citizen’s home, but the dad doesn’t like to hug his son. He is too embarrassed by the disease, Panorama reports.
Riva remembers a time when he boarded a public bus in his hometown in Vicenza, Italy. He has a hard time standing for long periods of time, so he tried to find some relief by grabbing a vacant seat. But the man next to him coldly ordered Riva away.
“Go away! Don’t sit next to me,” Riva remembers the stranger saying.
“I wanted to answer back, but I controlled myself,” he said. “I felt my blood pressure rise. There were lots of people on the bus and they heard it all, but no one said a word.”
So Riva spent the rest of the ride standing up.
At the Vatican, Riva used a wheelchair to wait in line. He came to attend the Pope’s weekly Wednesday audience.
His aunt remembers the event vividly.
“We didn’t think we would be so close to the Pope, but the Swiss Guard kept ushering us forward until we were in a corner in the front row,” Lotta said.
“When he came close to us,” she said, “I thought he would give me his hand. Instead he went straight to Vinicio and embraced him tightly. I thought he wouldn’t give him back to me he held him so tightly. We didn’t speak. We said nothing but he looked at me as if he was digging deep inside, a beautiful look that I would never have expected.”
Lotta remembers looking down at Francis’ shoes. They were apparently wide and thick.
“I thought yes, this is someone who really walks,” Lotta said.
The aunt hopes that Riva’ story will spread awareness about neurofibromatosis. She’s afraid that her country will cut back on health and social service benefits.
But for Riva, the encounter means something much more personal. He hopes the Pope will call him and arrange a face-to-face chat.
Doctors told him the disease would kill him at 30. The 53-year-old beat those odds and now, thanks to the Pope, he feels like he has a new lease on life.
“I felt I was returning home ten years younger, as if a load had been lifted,” Riva said. “I feel stronger and happier. I feel I can move ahead because the Lord is protecting me.”
