Spiderman meets the Pope<

The superhero Spider-Man was invited to the general audience of Pope Francis, Wednesday, June 23, at the Vatican. Behind the mask of the spider-man, hides in reality a real everyday hero who comes to the aid of sick children.

Pope Francis shaking hands with Spider-Man. A scene that the biggest fans of comics and films of the Marvel franchise would probably never have imagined... It is however a sequence that was offered to all the people who attended the traditional general audience of the Pope, at the Vatican. , Wednesday, June 23.

A man wearing the spider-man costume waited his turn in the VIP area, before being able to approach the sovereign pontiff, to exchange a handshake with him, but also a few words... Under the mask of the superhero, not Peter Parker, but a hero of everyday life.

Superheroes in hospitals

This is not the first time that the Italian Matteo Villardita, 28, has donned the costume of the one who remains, in 2021, one of the most popular characters with superpowers in the world. For the time being, the man from the Liguria region, in the north of the country, has not had the opportunity to walk from canvas to canvas between the buildings, like the hero he is. tries to imitate, but has indeed already helped strangers in real life.

Employee of a shipping company, Matteo Villardita also spends a lot of his time scouring Italian hospitals to meet sick children and bring them comfort. He is even at the head of an association that brings together other superheroes… But nothing to do with the Avengers, they are simply volunteers united around the same goal: to make life a little more bearable for little patients. hospitalized.

A mask for Pope Francis

At the Vatican, it was under this label of invested volunteer that the man came to meet the Pope. After quietly waiting his turn in the heat, Matteo Villardita simply asked Francis to pray for the children and their families.

On occasion, he also gave her a small present: a Spider-Man mask, "as a sign, to tell her that through her eyes, I see the pain of sick children in hospitals every day" , he told AP TV.

This everyday superhero almost stole the show from the Pope. After his brief exchange with the sovereign pontiff, he willingly granted a little of his time to the children present, delighted with his availability.

Matteo Villardita waited in the VIP area in the Vatican courtyard before being able to meet the Pope. (Photo: Remo Casili/Reuters)

A hero already rewarded in Italy

This Wednesday, the Vatican's communication organs also reported the presence of this Spider-Man in its courtyard. Vatican News notably described Matteo Villardita as being “really a good superhero”.

The man also told the media that, during confinement, he had spent nearly 1,400 hours in video with young patients, unable to go to hospitals for health reasons. At the end of 2020, he was decorated with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, rewarded for his altruism.

The superhero stole the show from Pope Francis. (Photo: Remo Casili/Reuters)

A former sick child

If Matteo Villardita is so involved in the country's pediatric services, it is because he knows perfectly well the situation of young patients, having experienced it himself. Suffering from a congenital disease, he had to undergo several surgeries when he was younger. And therefore, to become familiar with the hospital environment.

Today, he regularly shares his adventures and encounters with sick children on his social networks. On his Instagram banner, he even reclaimed Spider-Man's famous motto: "With great power comes great responsibility." »

Although he does not weave a web like the spider-man invented by screenwriter Stan Lee and cartoonist Steve Ditko in 1962, Matteo Villardita still performs daily sports exercises, in order to keep his superhero look.