Pope prays for him, says: “Poor man, he’s shouting because he’s suffering…”
A man disrupted an audience by Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday after he shouted various statements denouncing the Church.
“The Church is not the way God wants it,” the man, who has not been identified, shouted in English at the back of the Church, according to Agence France-Presse.
The man reportedly appeared distraught and concerned as he begged with the pontiff, asking, “Please.”
The man, who also spoke Spanish and Italian, was escorted out of the building by two Vatican police and a member of the Swiss Guard, according to the news outlet. Without resisting, the man yelled, “God rejects you, Father. You’re not a king.”
Francis, nearing the end of delivering his weekly address to the audience, continued to speak during the shouting. After the man was escorted out, the 85-year-old pontiff addressed the disturbance.
“We heard, a few minutes ago, a person who was yelling, scolding, who had a problem — I don’t know if it’s physical, psychic or spiritual, but it’s one of our brothers, in difficulty,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Francis continued by asking the audience to pray for the man.
“I would like to conclude by praying for him, our brother who suffers,” he continued. “Poor man, he’s shouting because he’s suffering.
“Let’s not be deaf to the needs of this brother.”
