Pope Blesses Ten‑Year‑Old With Polyhandicap During Champs‑Élysées Walk

Overview

• Pope Léon XIV reached out to bless Marie‑Garance during his walk along the Champs‑Élysées on Saturday 26 September, and a photograph of the moment spread widely over the weekend.
• Marie‑Garance’s mother, Clotilde Noël, told BFMTV the blessing was not planned and described the encounter as a “suspended” moment she called a miracle.
• The family says Marie‑Garance was taken in in 2016 as a pupille de la nation because she needs heavy medical care; her parents now raise ten children, four of whom were adopted and live with disabilities.
• Clotilde Noël said the family had been placed in a zone reserved for people with reduced mobility and credited nearby volunteers and a local ‘collectif’ with helping two daughters reach the pope for blessings.
• The image and family testimony produced an emotional public response and have focused attention on gaps in state care for children with severe disabilities, a topic the mother raised in later interviews.