Pope Benedict on Wednesday met the parents of a four-year-old British girl snatched in Portugal nearly a month ago and blessed her photo.
The pontiff spoke to Gerry and Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared while they were on a family holiday in the Algarve, for a few minutes at the end of his general audience in St Peter's Square.
The parents, both devout Catholics, squeezed the pontiff's hand as they spoke. When Benedict was shown a photo of the missing child, he put his hand on it and blessed it.
"We asked the pope to pray for Madeleine and he assured us he would," the McCanns said later at a press conference, adding that their meeting with Benedict had given them the "strength" to face their ordeal.
The McCanns, who both wore black for the occasion, had red eyes and looked tired. Mrs McCann, her hair tied in a pony tail, clung to one of her missing daughter's favourite toys, a fluffy pink cat.
The McCanns have said they believe that their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI could improve the chances of their daughter being returned.
"It was a gesture of spiritual closeness, of prayer and attention, both as regards this particular case and the other cases of parents whose children have disappeared," said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
Madeleine's disappearance has dominated the British news ever since the girl disappeared on May 3 in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.
She was snatched from the family's holiday apartment in the evening while her parents ate at a nearby restaurant.
During the press conference in the Vatican's press hall, the girl's parents appealed to Italians who were on holiday in the Algarve region of Portugal in the two weeks before Madeleine's disappearance.
They asked Italian holidaymakers to think carefully about their stay and to try to remember if they had seen anything unusual which could help police with their enquiries.
They also urged Italians who spent time in southern Portugal to visit the www.findmadeleine.com website and to send British police their holiday snaps.
"People may not realise this but in the background there could be important details, individuals that are perhaps known to the police," the parents said.
The McCanns said that British and Protuguese police were "very active" and that a "breakthrough" in the case could come at any moment. "We're sure we'll have Madeleine back at home soon," they said.
Before the meeting with the pope, the couple told journalists about their "mixed feelings" about their visit to the Vatican.
"Normally it would have been one of the most exciting moments of our lives, but we can't forget that Madeleine is not here with us," said Gerry.
