The More We Know's video: Pope Francis Visits Sick Children In Hospital

Pope Francis continued with his punishing Christmas schedule on Saturday (December 21) paying a three-hour visit to children in Rome's Bambino Jesu children's hospital. The Pope came in response to an invitation by these children, who sent drawings to the Pope for his inaugural Mass on March 19th, inviting him to come to the hospital. The Pontiff received letters from many of the children. He was welcomed in the courtyard of the facility by as many as four thousand well-wishers. During the course of the visit, Pope Francis received the Christmas wishes of the young patients, promising prayers for their healing and offering words of encouragement. "Dear children," said Pope Francis, "I thank you for [sharing] your dreams and your prayers [with me]," which the youngsters had written on paper and collected in a basket that they then gave him. "Thank you very much," he said, adding, "we present them together to Jesus: He knows them better than anyone - He knows what is in our heart of hearts. Especially with you children, Jesus has a special bond: He is always close to you." Founded in 1869, the Bambino Gesù hospital has developed a high level of expertise in treating children coming not only from Rome or Italy, but also from neighbouring European countries. Francis has forsaken many of the trappings used by his predecessors. He has given up the spacious papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace for a small apartment in a guest house and is driven in a regular car instead of the papal limousine. Francis has also proven to be hugely popular because of his statements urging the Church to be closer to the poor and to be more merciful and less condemning. The crowds at Francis' general audiences have often topped 100,000, forcing police to close off the main boulevard leading to the Vatican to accommodate more people. Thousands are expected for his last Angelus before Christmas in St. Peter's Square on Sunday (December 22).