A different type of participant dropped in on Pope Francis’s general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday — Spider-Man.
A person dressed in a full, skin-tight, red, black and blue costume of the comic book and film character, including head cover, sat in the VIP section of the audience in the Vatican’s San Damaso Courtyard.
He sat quietly next to a priest dressed in black, who appeared to be unperturbed by the colourful character with big white eyes.
The man behind the mask turned out to be Mattia Villardita, 27, from northern Italy. He was given a place in the VIP section because of his work dressing up in superhero costumes and visiting sick children in hospitals.
At the end of the audience, he was introduced to the pope, to whom he gave a Spider-Man mask.
Last year, Italian President Sergio Mattarella gave Villardita an award for his work with sick children.
— Reuters
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