Boy who arrived alone in Lampedusa meets Pope Francis, gifts him a paper ball

Eleven-year-old Leonardo Poderati, who arrived in Lampedusa a decade ago as an unaccompanied minor after losing his mother, met Pope Francis, sharing a deeply personal gift and story.

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For us today was a very important day, the presence of Pope Francis makes us feel less alone.

Leonardo, now adopted and attending the Gonzaga Campus in Palermo, presented the Pope with a handwritten note and a paper ball. "Dear Pope, I am super excited to meet you! 10 years ago my story began here. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mom," his note read. He explained that a paper ball was the first thing that made him stop crying and has remained a symbol of hope and play in his life. He gifted the ball hoping it would bring happiness to another child.

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Dear Pope, I am super excited to meet you! 10 years ago my story began here. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mom. They tell me I only stopped crying when they gave me a paper ball, from that day the ball remained in my heart and I never stopped playing. I hope this ball I give you can reach another child and make them happy just like me. Thank you. Leo

His mother, Marilena Poderati, vice-director of the Gonzaga Campus, described the encounter as "very important," stating the Pope's presence made them feel "less alone." She reflected on the challenges of spreading love in a world where hate seems prevalent and hateful language has become normalized. "Racist ideas have always been there, but those who had them kept them to themselves. Now the language has been unleashed, everything is allowed, even saying the most horrible things," she said.

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It's all his own words, and it wasn't easy. I was by his side and first he got emotional, then I got emotional...

Leonardo's journey began in 2016 when he arrived in Lampedusa from Ghana after embarking from Libya with his mother, who died during the journey. A month later, his adoptive parents took him in, though adoption procedures were lengthy. Poderati expressed gratitude to the people of Lampedusa, who she said gave Leo the paper ball that he always carries. The family returns annually to Lampedusa with students from Gonzaga to witness the realities of migration.

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Because witnessing love is not easy, in these times. Sometimes the feeling is that hate is dominant. Racist ideas have always been there, but those who had them kept them to themselves. Now the language has been unleashed, everything is allowed, even saying the most horrible things.