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VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict comforted the parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann last night and tenderly blessed a photograph of the missing child held up by her distraught mother.
Kate McCann appeared to be holding back tears as she and her husband Gerry, both Catholics, met the Pope
at the end of his general audience in St Peter's Square as the abduction approached its one-month mark.
"He said he would pray for us and our family and for Madeleine's safe return," Kate McCann said afterwards.
During their brief meeting Kate McCann held up a photograph of Madeleine. The Pope touched it gently, blessed it by making the sign of the cross and then spoke words of comfort.
"It was very emotional but also a positive experience ... that photograph will stay with me," the mother said afterwards.
She and her husband met the Pope when he walked over to a section reserved for special guests at the outdoor audience.
The girl's father, who kissed the Pope's hand, said later he and his wife were touched and encouraged by the Pope's gestures.
"It was more personal than anything I could have imagined it to be," he said.
"There was recognition immediately, looking at Madeleine's photograph, and his touch and thoughts and words were more tender than we could have thought and that will help sustain us during this most difficult time," he said.
The girl's mother was carrying a pink fluffy toy cat that Madeleine had named "cuddle cat" and without whom she could not fall asleep.
In his public comments during the audience, the Pope made no reference to Madeleine, who disappeared on May 3.
The McCanns told reporters before the audience that they had "mixed emotions" about being in the Vatican.
"Under normal circumstances it would be one of the most exciting things we could do in our own lifetime, but very much on our minds is the fact that we're here without Madeleine," he said. "This is a very nerve-racking experience."
Both parents wore dark suits to the outdoor audience, which was attended by tens of thousands of people.
"One evil act seems to be generating so much good ... and has restored my faith in humanity," Madeleine's father said afterwards.
He appealed to holiday makers travelling in Europe to post pictures of his daughter in public places in the hope someone might have information that could lead to her safe return.
Madeleine was snatched in the evening from an Algarve apartment as her parents ate at a nearby restaurant.
- REUTERS