The mother of Madeleine McCann held up the picture of her daughter, which the Pope Benedict touched gently and then blessed with the sign of the cross.
VATICAN CITY: The parents of a four-year-old British girl snatched from a Portuguese holiday resort nearly a month ago met Pope Benedict on Wednesday and the Pontiff blessed a photograph of the child.
The mother of Madeleine McCann appeared to be holding back tears as she held up the picture of her daughter, which the Pope touched gently and then blessed with the sign of the cross.
"He said he would pray for us and our family and for Madeleine's safe return," Kate McCann said.
She and husband Gerry, who are Catholic, met the Pope after he walked over to a section reserved for special guests at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
The girl's father, who kissed the Pope's hands, said later he and his wife felt "very emotional" as the Pontiff spoke and touched their hands, gestures he called "more personal" than expected.
"I thanked him for meeting us and for his prayers," said Kate, who was carrying a pink fluffy toy cat that belongs to her missing daughter.
"It has been a very positive experience. It can only make us stronger."
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," Gerry McCann said.
"This is a very nerve-racking experience."
Both parents wore dark suits to the outdoor audience in St Peter's Square, which was attended by tens of thousands of people.
Madeleine was snatched in the evening from a holiday resort apartment as her parents ate at a restaurant about 100 yards away, in sight of the apartment.
Britain has been gripped by the McCann's tragedy and photographs of the blonde-haired child have rarely been off the front pages of British newspapers since her abduction.
"One evil act seems to be generating so much good ... and has restored my faith in humanity," Madeleine's father said.
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