Pope Leo XIV locked eyes with the 7-year-old boy, holding both his hands as the two smiled at one another. Captured by AP chief photographer Emilio Morenatti, the moment resonated first with onlookers and then with many others around the world. As perfectly-timed as Morenatti's photo was, what happened after made it even more captivating. Its publication and a post by Morenatti on X set off a search by internet sleuths for the boy's parents, who believed they had witnessed a miracle and likewise were trying to find Morenatti. "I have always believed that if a photograph moves me while I am making it, there is a good chance it will move others as well," said Morenatti, a two-time Pulitzer-winning photographer. "When that happens, the image transcends the simple recording of a moment and gains a deeper power."
When Montse Martínez, 36, and her husband first heard of Leo's upcoming visit to the Sagrada Familia basilica, it felt like stars aligning. Such is their devotion to the Catalan architect who designed the church, Antoni Gaudí, that they named their newborn after him. For nine straight days they prayed before an image of Gaudí, who's on the path to sainthood, asking him to grant them tickets to see the pope. Their wish came true, and they were among the 40,000 faithful gathered for Leo's prayer vigil on Tuesday. A security guard noticed their baby and handed him to the pope, who gave the crying infant a blessing. The guard came back for 7-year-old Joaquim. "He was so moved that he could only smile, he couldn't speak," Martínez told the AP of Joaquim's few seconds with the pope. At that precise moment, Morenatti snapped his photo.
Morenatti posted the image to X, asking for help finding the boy's family so he could give them a printed copy. "They had to see this photo. And I needed to tell them how moved I was by their son," Morenatti said. His post went viral, racking up more than half a million views and hundreds of comments. Even the Catholic Church in Barcelona chimed in, asking for people to assist. And one of the region's most-read newspapers wrote a story about the search.
Joaquim's parents were unaware of this campaign. But they had seen Morenatti's photo on the website of a top local newspaper and started to track him down. They found his name with the help of ChatGPT and messaged him directly on Instagram. Morenatti responded and they spoke by phone. The family is thrilled they will soon obtain the printed image, which they will hang in their home in a village outside Barcelona. "We haven't figured out yet where to place it, but it will be in a very special place," Martínez said, adding that she hopes it will help plant the seed of faith in her five children. Perhaps, she said, her son's short private audience with the pope could even be included in Gaudí's canonization dossier. "For us, it's a miracle of Antoni Gaudí. It's a gift of God, who has these tender gestures of love for his children."
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