(Via Kate Bowe PR)
PHILOMENA LEE, THE woman who the Oscar-nominated film, Philomena, is based on met with the Pope Francis today in Rome.
Actor Steve Coogan who also stars in the film adaptation of Philomena’s story was also in attendance.
His Holiness
Representing the Philomena Project, an organisation that is calling on the Irish government to enact legislation to open up adoption records and reunite mothers separated from their children as a result of forced adoption, Lee said she was honoured to meet the Pope.
Speaking after the event, Lee said she was “delighted to have been in the presence of Pope Francis” today.
She said:
I have always put great faith in the Church and the good will to put the wrongs of the past right.I hope and believe that his Holiness Pope Francis joins me in the fight to help the thousands of mothers and children who need closure on their own stories.
In 1952, when Philomena Lee became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland, she was sent to a ‘Mother and Baby Home’ to be taken care of. When her son was three years old, he was taken away, sold for adoption and sent to America.
Earlier this week, a Vatican spokesperson dismissed reports that said the Pope Francis was going to watch the Philomena movie.
The Catholic Herald reported the spokesperson stated:
The Holy Father does not see films, and will not be seeing this one. It is also important to avoid using the Pope as part of a marketing strategy.
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