Meriam Ibrahim flew into Italy after being relesaed from a death sentence for marrying a Christian even though she was raised in the religion after being abandoned by her Muslim father
Reuters
Free at last: Pope Francis I blesses Mariam Ibrahim at the Vatican todayWith a gentle touch of her head, the Pope blesses Meriam Ibrahim - the brave woman who refused to renounce her faith, even when it meant she would be sentenced to death.
With a warm smile, Meriam cradled her daughter Maya - the baby she gave birth to two months ago while shackled in a Sudanese prison where she awaited execution by hanging.
The pontiff expressed his 'gratitude and joy' at Meriam's arrival today and thanked the mother-of-two for her 'witness to faith' when they met today at the Vatican.
Courageous Meriam, 27, whose father was Muslim but whose mother was an Orthodox Christian, married Sudan-born Daniel Wani, a Christian, in 2011.
Muslim women in the country are not allowed to marry non-Muslims, but men can marry outside of faith.
Meriam's father insisted that she had abandoned Islam and committed adultery with her Christian husband.
However, Meriam refused to recant her faith and become a Muslim. As a result, she was charged with apostasy and sentenced to death.
Reuters
Relief: Pope Francis with Meriam and her familyThe incident caused outrage across the world and was condemned by the US, the UN and Amnesty International. But it was Italy, a strong opponent of the death penalty, who worked on a deal with Sudan to quash the ruling.
In June, Sudan's High Court threw out Meriam's sentence but she was then blocked from leaving the country when authorities accused her of travelling with fake documents, which she denied.
She took refuge with her family at the US embassy in Khartoum before her passport was finally returned this week and she was told she could leave the country.
Italy's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lapo Pistelli - who helped negotiate Meriam's release - accompanied the family to Italy. He sad: 'We were able to use our ties with the region and had the patience to speak to everyone in a friendly way. This paid off.'
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi greeted Meriam at Rome's Ciampino airport, saying: 'This is a day of celebration.'
Happily married: Meriam and Daniel ManiJust hours later, Meriam, Maya, 18-month-old son Martin, and husband Daniel - who has US citizenship - met Pope Francis.
Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, described the meeting as 'calm and affectionate'.
He added: 'The Pope wanted it to be a gesture of support to all those who suffer for their faith and live in restrictive situations. He thanked Meriam for her witness to faith.'
She was also presented with a rosary gift from the Pope. The family are expected to spend the next few days in Rome before heading to America.
Human rights groups applauded Meriam's freedom but insisted Sudan was still persecuting non-Muslims.
Director of Waging Peace, Olivia Warham, said: 'Sudanese President Bashir said three years ago that there would be no room for non-Muslims in his Islamist Sudan.
He has been good to his word, crushing dissent and systematically killing ethnic and religious minorities.'
Meriam Ibrahim, a qualified doctor, was also facing 100 lashes for adultery after a court in Sudan refused to recognise her marriage to US citizen Daniel Wani
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