Pope Francis met privately with a Sudanese woman in Rome who was sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity, Reuters reported, blessing both her and the baby she had while in prison.
Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, whose sentence and detention triggered international outrage, walked off the aircraft cradling her baby and was greeted by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. She "will remain in Italy for a short time and then will travel on to the United States," the ministry said.
The Vatican said Pope Francis had "a very affectionate" meeting with Ibrahim, her husband and their two small children on Thursday. "The Pope thanked Mariam and her family for their courageous witness and constancy of faith. For her part, Mariam expressed gratitude to the Pope for the great support and comfort she received from his prayers and from so many others believers of good will," Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.
As she held her baby daughter Maya in her arms, the pope blessed both of them. "The meeting, which lasted around half an hour, was intended as a sign of closeness and solidarity for all those who suffer for their faith," he added.
Francis also played with the children, 18-month-old Martin and 2-month-old Maya, and greeted the Italian diplomats involved in her journey to Italy.
Sudanese authorities had said Ibrahim was guilty of rejecting Islam in favor of Christianity, but following weeks of international controversy, her conviction for "apostasy" and adultery was overturned last month on appeal, CNN reported. After her release, she and her husband, American Daniel Wani, were detained for two days, accused of falsifying travel documents after going to the airport in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. They were trying to fly to the United States with their baby daughter, who was born while Ibrahim was in prison, and toddler son.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim claims to have been born and raised as a Christian by an Ethiopian family in Sudan and later abducted by a Sudanese Muslim family. But the charges have been denied by the Muslim family, who has instead filed a lawsuit to have her marriage annulled last week in a new attempt to stop her leaving the country. That case was later dropped.
As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith. By law, children must follow their father's religion, UK MailOnline reported.
