VATICAN:The parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann, who was abducted while on holiday in Portugal four weeks ago, yesterday had a brief, emotional meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. The couple met the pope on the steps of the Basilica of St Peter's at the end of his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
In a gesture of consolation and empathy, the pope took hold of Kate and Gerry McCann's hands and blessed a photograph of Madeleine shown to him by Kate McCann.
Dressed in formal dark suits, the McCanns appeared stressed and sombre throughout the brief encounter that lasted little more than 30 seconds.
Speaking at a news conference afterwards, Ms McCann said: "I thanked the pope for letting us meet him and I thanked him for his prayers. He was very kind and very sincere. He said that he would pray for us and for our family and that he would continue to pray for Madeleine's safe return to us. The meeting with the pope was a very positive experience and it can only make us stronger."
Senior Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi had earlier described the couple as "fervent Catholics", a point underlined by Gerry McCann who said afterwards: "In ordinary circumstances it would be a highlight for any Catholic to come and meet the pope. For us, it is saddened by the realisation that our daughter is still missing.
"We must believe and do believe that we can get Madeleine back to us."
Yesterday's multilingual general audience followed the usual pattern with prayers offered in Italian, English, French, Portuguese, Serbo-Croat and other languages.
When one English-speaking priest offered up a prayer, saying that the pope's "blessing goes to your children and your loved ones", the McCann couple appeared to be much moved, wiping tears from their eyes.
Gerry McCann, a cardiologist, believes that yesterday's meeting with Pope Benedict could have a "huge bearing" on Madeleine's safe return.
For the time being, the couple have no plans to return to the UK but will continue to be based in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was abducted.
In an effort to further raise the profile of their daughter, the McCanns are expected to visit Germany, Morocco, Spain and the Netherlands in the next few days.