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Disfigured man relives meeting Pope Francis: ‘It was like being in paradise’

A severely disfigured man who was warmly embraced by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square has described the moment as ‘like being in paradise’.

Vinicio Riva, who suffers from the genetic disease neurofibromatosis, leaving his body covered in painful tumours, was pictured meeting the pontiff earlier this month.

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