Atlanta Girl In Rome Grabs The Pope's Headgear

ATLANTA, GA – A three-year-old from Atlanta drew laughs from all around the world when she grabbed the Pope’s skullcap after greeting him with her family in Rome.

Estella Westrick had just leaned in for a kiss from Pope Frances when she grabbed his skullcap, which is known as a zucchetto in Italian. The family had lined up for hours along with a family friend in the hopes of catching a glimpse of His Holiness during his weekly audience in Vatican Square, according to a CBS television report.

Her father, Scott Westrick, said it happened too fast for him to stop his daughter.

“She does what she wants,” he told CBS.

“It was the first thing she told me when she came in the door, her mother, Alexis Westrick, said in a televised interview. “ ‘Mommy, I saw the pope, I got his hat,’” she said after she stole the pontiff's hat.

“Obviously the pope is not a regular guy, he’s the pope!,” Burke told CBS. “But, as much as possible, I think he wants to deal with people as if he were.”

»Watch the full CBS interview with Estella Westrick here.

Photo courtesy of Mountain Butorac Twitter