Madeleine Parents Meet Pope for 'Spiritual Lift'

The parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann, who was abducted in Portugal three weeks ago, have met the Pope at the Vatican earlier today to receive a "spiritual lift".

|PIC1|The British couple, Kate and Gerry McCann, sat in the front row during the audience and spoke briefly to Pope Benedict as they showed him a photograph of their missing daughter.

The Pope put his hand on the arms of both parents during the emotional meeting and blessed them.

At a press conference after the audience, Mr McCann said: "Today, meeting the Pontiff was an experience that has caused very mixed emotions for us.

"In ordinary circumstances it would be a highlight for any Catholic to meet the Pope. Of course it's saddened by the marked realisation that our daughter is still missing.

"We know people everywhere are praying for our daughter and that helps sustain our belief that we can get her back safely."

Gerry McCann wrote on his web log prior to the visit, "We expect to receive a great spiritual lift, especially if we get to speak to the Pontiff personally."

The McCanns, who are devout Catholics, will hand out missing posters of Madeleine written in Italian before leaving the country. They are also due to visit Spain, the Netherlands, Morocco and Germany to raise awareness of their daughter's disappearance.

The couple has expressed hope to draw profound strength from any audience as well as helping to publicise the campaign to bring Madeleine home.

On Tuesday, the McCanns released the last video footage of their daughter taken before her disappearance on 3 May from her family's holiday apartment in the southern Algarve region of Portugal. She vanished after her parents left her and her siblings alone in their room while they went to a nearby tapas bar inside their hotel complex.