Pope Francis landed in the UAE on Feb. 3 for the first-time ever, marking a historic moment for interfaith relations in the Gulf state.
The event was widely anticipated and witnessed over 130,000 attendees cheering the pope as he made his way at the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 5.
During his papal mass in the muslim-majority country, and to everyone's surprise, two little girls managed to break through security and run towards the popemobile.
The first girl, identified as Colombian 8-year-old Valery Sanchez, hurried towards the pope as soon as he approached where she was standing, holding a letter in her hand. Though she was brought to a halt by one of the security officers, Pope Francis signaled the driver to stop the car and the guard to bring the girl to him.
And so in all cuteness, the girl in a white shirt and pink pants was lifted up by a guard so that the pope can bless her and receive her letter.
"She was courageous," the Pope told reporters, according to CNN.
"I said, 'No, let her come!' That girl has a future," he added.
A few seconds later, another girl - 6-year-old Gabriela Atehortua - was able to follow the lead of Sanchez, also finding her way to the pope despite a condensed convoy of security.
Here it is, from a different angle
The reason behind the girls' adventure has been revealed
According to Khaleej Times, both girls' fathers are in prison in the UAE.
Their successful attempt at reaching the pope "was a desperate plea to beg for their fathers' forgiveness. And their hope is that they'll be reunited with them one day."
"We tried to reach out to the Pope because in some of the countries he visits, an amnesty for the release of non-violent prisoners sometimes happens. We saw it as our only hope," the mothers of the girls, Andrea Sanchez and Jessica Atehortua, told Khaleej Times in an interview.
They wish to send another letter to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in hopes of attaining their fathers' release.
The first letter had a hand-drawn image "by the girls depicting each of them walking hand-in-hand with their fathers under the Colombian, Argentinian and UAE flags."
While the second was a letter "penned by the girls and their mothers back in December. It said 'we are three women, with two little girls' and spoke of their fathers sorrow for their crime, saying they have 'learned their lesson and have deep regrets'."