Pope Francis took time to lovingly comfort a father mourning the loss of his son.
On January 20, 2022, Marco Simoncelli, known as “Sic,” would have turned 35 years old. The Italian motorcycle racing champion, who died prematurely in an accident during a race in Malaysia in 2011, came from a Catholic family. In a recent interview with Sky Sport, Marco’s father, Paolo Simonelli, recounted a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, apparently referring to a visit in September of 2018. The frank encounter changed the way he viewed the pope and ended with a hug.
In these photos, Paolo can be seen during the audience at the end of a row of MotoGP representatives.
