Pope Francis Assigns Homework to Harlem School Children

Pope Francis visited Our Lady Queen of Angels School in Harlem on Friday afternoon and left the kids there with an assignment.  

"Before going, I want to give you some homework," Pope Francis, who was speaking in Spanish, said through an interpreter to the assembled students. "Can I? It is simple , but a very important one. Please don’t forget to pray for me, so that I can share with many people the joy of Jesus. And let us also pray so that many people can share the joy like yours, like when you feel accompanied, assisted, when you feel that you’re getting advice. There may be problems of course, but you have peace in your heart because Jesus will never abandon you. May god bless you and everyone here and Our Lady protect you."

The assignment was lighthearted like most of the pontiff's visit with the children. During the visit, Francis cajoled the children to sing for him, and encouraged them to sing louder by holding a hand to his ear. He also let the children teach him how to use a touchscreen device in their classroom that contained lessons on the Earth. 

Though lighthearted, his assigment was a serious request. The pope ended his visit by leading the school children in The Lord's Prayer. When he finished, he switched to English. 

"Don't forget the homework," he said. 

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