HUNLOCK CREEK, Pa. -- A 2-year-old girl from Luzerne County got the chance meeting of a lifetime, getting blessed in person by Pope Francis.
Taylor Hall was on a trip with her family in Rome when she was plucked from the crowd by the pope's security. Cell phone video shows the moment Vatican City security chose 2-year-old Taylor Hall from the crowd and brought the child to Pope Francis. The pontiff then blesses the girl in a moment that seemed unreal to her stunned family.
"I remember I was taking pictures, and all of a sudden, he grabbed her, and I'm like, 'What's happening right now?'" said mom Angee Hall. "And I remember as soon as they handed her back, I jumped down off the chair I was standing on and I just grabbed her and I started crying.”
Angee says the family from Hunlock Creek was on vacation in Rome last week and were in Vatican City for the pope's weekly audience for prayers and blessings. Grandmother Laurie Hall says she and Taylor were standing right where the pope would be driving by.
"The magnitude of what was going to happen at that moment, them taking my granddaughter and then handing her to the pope and receiving the blessing, like you're in shock," said Laurie.
"It really didn't sink in until probably after he handed her back off, and then we saw her, and he drove away and kind of waved at us. It was just absolutely amazing," said dad Matthew.
Angee says she and her husband struggled for years to have a child and have called Taylor their miracle baby. Having this happen with the pope is confirmation she truly is.
"She's an extra special girl to start with, took us a very long time to get her. She was six years in the making," said Angee.
So how did their miracle baby feel about her meeting with the pope?
"She hated it. She hated it," said Angee, laughing. "She's like, 'Who is this person you're giving me to and why are you doing it?'"
The family says this was their first trip to Rome and most likely could be their last since there's no way to top off this vacation.