Joaquín Mbana Nchama walks with reverence toward the white marble statue of former Pope John Paul II, which towers over a small square outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome's northwestern suburbs. He is the ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to the Vatican, and as he sits on a block next to the monument, he takes out a small red book and a rosary and begins to whisper prayers for Pope Francis under his breath.

"I'm not here to make a show," Mr. Mbana Nchama told DW after his prayers. "I just want to come and pray for this pope because he is one who truly wants the salvation of all of God's works and creation."

Next, a young Italian couple arrives with a baby. The mother prays, looking up at the statue, then leans down to kiss her child lying in the pram, tears streaming down her face.

"After five years trying to get pregnant, I went and prayed for the first time in my life 18 months ago during a papal Mass at the Vatican," said the 42-year-old woman from Rome, who asked for her name not to be published. "Two weeks later, our child was conceived, and I thank God and this pope for that. That’s why I've come to pray for him now."

Before they........

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