Spider-Man Met the Pope
🎼 Spider-man, Spider-man!
🎵 Does whatever a spider he can.
🥁 Spins a web any size,
🎹 Catches thieves, just like flies.
🎶 Look out! Here comes the Spider-man!
Photo: Vatican Media
We expect the Pope has met a real life spider before, so it makes sense that our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man met the Pope last week.
You might be thinking this is a clever meet and greet set up to promote the next film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, but you’d be wrong. It turns out, the man behind this mask is Mattia Villardita from norther Italy.
Photo: Marvel
Villardita dresses up as a very convincing version of the much-beloved hero and visits sick children in hospitals to cheer them up during their treatment. He even recruits friends to join him as other superheroes as part of his project Superheroes on the Ward.
Photo: @mattiavillardita
Because of his love for kids and devotion to the church, Villardita was invited to meet the Pope himself on Wednesday, June 26, 2021 at the Vatican. But even superheroes need to wait in line. Here you can see him waiting among others slated to meet the Pope.
Spider-Man waiting to meet the Pope. Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
“I try to alleviate some of the suffering of hospital patients,” Villardita told the Catholic News Agency.
Photo: @mattiavillardita
After spending 19 years in a pediactric hospital on the northern coast of Italy due to a genetic malformation that required many surgeries, Mattia heads to visit kids in similar situations as often as he can. Villardita also told CNA that he’s a Catholic and was very happy to get to meet the Pope.
Photo: mattiavillardita
During his visit, the Pope (being the Pope and all) seemed unphased by the presence of a web-slinging superhero and encourages Spidey to take lots of pictures with the kids in the Vatican Square.
Last year, Mattia Villardita was honored by Italian President Sergio Mattarella with an Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his services as an everyday hero to kids in need of cheering up. Covid-19 didn’t stop Spidey’s visits to the hospital either.
Photo: @mattiavillardita
During the Pandemic, Spider-Man made more than 1,400 WEB calls or even scaled some tall buildings before swinging back into the wards in December 2020. But, we’re so glad to see he’s back to hugging kids to cheer them up, because a web call just isn’t the same.
Photo: @mattiavillardita
Here at MarvelBlog.com, we love seeing ordinary people transform into everyday heroes. Way to go Mattia! We’re so happy that Spider-Man met the Pope.
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