Neurofibromatosis Patient Embraced by the Pope Passes Away

2013 Year Hug with the Pope Draws Attention
"A Kind and Helpful Person to Everyone"

On the 12th (local time), the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that a man with a rare disease who received a blessing kiss from Pope Francis in 2013 has passed away.

Local media reported that Vinicio Riva, who suffered from neurofibromatosis, died at the age of 63 on the 10th after a long battle with the illness at a hospital in Vicenza, northeastern Italy.

Neurofibromatosis is a disease in which tumors develop in the nervous system. Tumors form in various parts along the peripheral nerves throughout the body as well as in the nervous system. It is a hereditary disease characterized by numerous caf?-au-lait spots on the skin or subcutaneous tissue and widespread tumors, occurring in about one in every 4,000 newborns.

Pope Francis caressing the head of Vinicio Riva in 2013
Photo by Yonhap News / Italy ANSA News Agency capture

Riva suffered from neurofibromatosis type 1 (Recklinghausen disease), a rare and intractable disease causing abnormal tumors all over the body. His mother and younger sister, who passed away earlier, also endured painful days due to the same disease.

The disease manifested in Riva around the age of 15. Until then, his skin was as white as jade, and he was an ordinary boy full of confidence, but afterward, painful tumors began to cover his entire body from head to toe.

On November 6, 2013, he visited St. Peter's Square in the Vatican and received a warm embrace from the Pope. Pope Francis noticed Riva among the crowd, called him closer, and hugged him tightly. The Pope gently touched Riva’s face and head, covered with hundreds of tumors, with his hands and kissed him on the face without hesitation.

For Riva, who suffered not only physical pain from the incurable disease but also harsh stares, it was an unforgettable moment. At the time, he told the media, "My body trembled as I received the Pope’s embrace, and I could feel a warm energy," confessing that the Pope was the first person in 40 years to warmly embrace him.

This scene deeply moved many and made headlines worldwide, with the American news magazine TIME ranking it as the second warmest news story of 2013.

Corriere della Sera, reporting on Riva’s death, evaluated that the Pope’s touching kiss became an opportunity for the world to pay attention to neurofibromatosis patients who had to live hidden under social stigma. Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, expressed condolences, saying, "The scene of the Pope and Riva embracing for a long time reminded everyone that inclusion against all barriers is a universal right and duty of society."

Francesco Gonzo, mayor of Isola Vicentina where Riva lived, recalled on Facebook, "He was always actively involved in community activities" and "He was a kind and helpful person to everyone."