Pope Francis receives Ajrak from Pakistani-Christian, poses for viral photo

Bashir was in Rome to attend Pre-Synodal meet and greet with Pope Francis

A photo of a Pakistani-Christian with Pope Francis wearing an Ajrak has been making rounds on social media after gaining traction since it was first uploaded in March.

Daniel Bashir, from Jesus Youth of St Paul’s Parish Mehmoodabad Archdiocese Karachi, gifted the Pope the traditional Sindhi Ajrak who then wore it and took the photo which has caught the public's attention. Bashir was in Vatican City, Rome to attend the Pre-Synodal Meeting for Young People organised in Italy from March 19 to 24.

The meeting gives young people a chance to meet the Pope, the event's website states. Bashir, along with attendees from multiple countries met with the Pope. The picture, captioned, "My heart is full of happiness" shows the Pope sporting the apparel and smiling wide.



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Last month, the Vatican rebuked a well-known Italian journalist who quoted Pope Francis as saying hell does not exist. They issued a statement after the comments spread on social media, saying they did not properly reflect what the pope had said.

Eugenio Scalfari, 93, an avowed atheist who has struck up an intellectual friendship with Francis, met the pope recently and wrote up a long story that included a question-and-answer section at the end. The Vatican said the pope did not grant him an interview and the article “was the fruit of his reconstruction” not a “faithful transcription of the Holy Father’s words”.