Today, on February 5, before the general audience, Pope Francis met with seven girls from Kharkiv who are being helped by the Italian association "Memoria Viva" (Living Memory). One of them, Veronika, presented the pontiff with a doll with a shrapnel fragment sewn into it.
This was reported by Vatican News.
This shrapnel from a Russian bomb hit Veronika while she was walking her dog, and the 18-year-old from Kharkiv sewed it into a small doll called Vilna ('free' - ed), a symbol of resilience and rebirth.
The Pope accepted the gift with gratitude. The Holy Father signed the Ukrainian flag brought by the girls and shook hands with each of the attendees.
“He was pleased, happy, although he looked a little tired,” said Claudia Conte, a representative of "Memoria Viva". “His desire to be close to these children is contagious and encourages us to make even more efforts to be more responsible towards those who suffer, towards the little ones.