Why this girl dodged security to meet pope

She hand-delivered a letter to pontiff asking him to pray for family

She was desperate for an audience with the pope — even just for a second no matter the cost — just so she could ask the Holy Father to pray for her family.

Gabriela is the mystery girl whose courageous act of dodging security to meet Pope Francis during the Papal Mass at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday morning has got everyone talking.

The world watched as the sixyear-old girl dressed in a white shirt and pink pants dodged security to hand-deliver a card to the Holy See.

In the video live-stream, which has now gone viral, Pope Francis motioned for the driver to stop upon seeing Gabriela escape security as she charged to the Popemobile. But Gabriela’s bravery was not without bases, her mother Jessica told Gulf News in an interview.

“The letter contained her sincere request, a petition for Papa Francis,” Jessica, 26, Gabriela’s mother, said, requesting the child’s petition not to be disclosed.

Two letters, two girls

But there were in fact two letters. Gabriela was holding the one that she had written with her friend Valery, 8, who shared the same request with her. Valerie was holding the one their mothers had penned.

But only Gabriela managed to reach the pope.

“We always put God first in everything. We sought God’s mercy while writing each word in the letter,” she said.

Both mothers and daughters have considered each other as family. They did not fly to Dubai from Colombia just to see the pope as was earlier reported due to a miscommunication.

Describing her daughter, Jessica said: “Gabriela is noble and kind. She has a strong character but is also tender-hearted.”

Even Pope Francis praised the girl’s fierce determination during his trip back to the Vatican on Tuesday.

“This child has a future!” the pontiff told reporters during the flight. I liked that. You have to have courage to do that.”