Montco boy blessed by pope dies

A boy who was blessed by Pope Francis during the pontiff's September trip to Philadelphia has died.

A support page on Facebook for 9-year-old Landon Vargas said the East Norriton boy died over the weekend.

Landon was diagnosed with cancer when he was four and Pope Francis stopped on his way to Independence Hall to bless the boy.

"It saddens us to have to say this but our precious son Landon, went to live with God Saturday evening," the Facebook page said. "We will miss him dearly but are glad to know he is finally healthy and happy sitting next to our Lord."

The boy's father, Ariel Vargas, told Fox29 after the blessing that he called out, "Bless him" in Spanish, then saw Francis tap his driver to stop.

"He's had a long road for the last five years and we're running out of options," Ariel Vargas said at the time. "This was a good one, so we thought we'd go this route because nothing's going to hurt at this point. We were praying and hoping that he would bless him, and now it's in God's hands."

According to the Facebook page, Landon got to go to an Eagles game on Oct. 11, where he had his picture taken with former Phillie Shane Victorino, and celebrated his birthday on Thanksgiving.

Last month, the family of 1-year-old Gianna Masciantonio reported that her brain tumor had shrunk considerably after she was kissed by the pope in Philadelphia and undergoing rounds of surgeries and chemotherapy.