July 25, 2104 – ROME – A mother put on death row for refusing to reject Christianity met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, just hours after she fled Sudan. Meriam Ibrahim was flown out of the country with her American husband and two young children. She was blessed by the pontiff during a private audience and is expected to fly onto the United States in the next few days.

After an almost year-long ordeal that triggered outrage around the world, the State Department had been negotiating with Sudanese officials for weeks to secure the family’s safe passage out of the country. Ibrahim, 27, has been sheltered at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum for almost a month.

Get the full article at NBC News:  http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/christian-meriam-ibrahim-meets-pope-francis-after-escaping-sudan-n163681