Scottish Catholic Observer

The Pope  kissed one-year-old Gianna in September (above), during a Papal procession in Philadelphia while he visited the US and now the comparison of Gianna’s MRIs from August and November shows a noticeable difference.

The girl’s parents Joey and Kristen Masciantonio have reportedly described the kiss as a miracle and the baby’s family, from Pennsylvania, have credited the improvement in the child’s condition to divine intervention.

“She’s getting better and stronger,” Kristen Masciantonio, told CBS Philadelphia. “She’s blowing kisses. She’s starting to point at things.”

According to the TV station, the girl’s brain stem had been ‘attacked’ by the toddler’s blood cells. One year-old Gianna’s blood cells attacked her brain stem weeks after birth, and surgery is not an option. Her family took Gianna to the Papal parade in front of Independence Hall, where she was blessed by the Holy Father with a kiss.

Her family says the tumour has shrunk in the weeks since the visit, and that recovery is clearly visible in recent screenings.

—This story ran in full in the November 27 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.