Pope Leo rushes to help priest overcome by heat in St Peter's Square

Screenshot

Source: Vatican Media

Towards the end of the General Audience in St Peter's Square yesterday, Pope Leo was filmed stepping down from the platform where he was speaking to assist someone in the audience who had been taken ill with the heat that reached over 34C.

That person was Father Diego Semeraro, a priest from Martina Franca, a town in Puglia, southern Italy, who had come to Rome together with his brother Father Franco who was the celebrating the 60th anniversary of his ordination. He had presented Pope Leo with an album containing photographs of the relics of Saint Augustine when they arrived in Martina Franca about 20 years ago.

Father Franco told Vatican News: "It was an extraordinary thing." As the pair approached the platform for the traditional handshake with the Pope that occurs at the end of the General Audience, Father Diego began to feel ill. "After standing three hours in the sun, my brother felt faint, he fell quite badly, and now he's a bit sore, but thank God he is fine now," Fr Franco explained.

Pope Leo XIV "was the first to kneel down and help him," Father Franco said. Father Diego exclaimed: "Your Holiness, is that really you?"

The Pope then shook his hand and gave him a rosary. After the incident, Fr Diego was taken to the Vatican emergency room for a checkup which reportedly showed no problems.

Later was able to have lunch and celebrate Mass.

Father Diego - who will turn 82 in June was ordained a priest in 1970 in St Peter's Square by Pope Paul VI. For years he served at the Holy Family parish in Martina Franca.

See a short film of the incident from Vatican Media: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzaTs5a99lU