Pope Francis asks American teenager to sing for him

Teen is overwhelmed with emotion but sings for the pontiff

17-year-old Valerie Herrera, a senior at Cristo Bey Jesuit High School, was asked by Pope Francis to sing a song.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Americans were invited to a virtual meeting with Pope Francis via satellite, which was moderated from inside the Vatican by ABC News' anchor David Muir.

Herrera told Good Morning America she didn't know she could talk to the pontiff until only moments before. She said, "They told me 'Oh, you're going to be talking to the pope,' and I was like, 'What? Really?' I thought they were joking and then I guess it was the real deal."

When asked how it felt to have the pontiff ask her to sing, she said, "I really couldn't say no," prompting the Good Morning America hosts to laugh.

When it was her turn to speak to Pope Francis, Herrera told him she has struggled with the autoimmune disease vitiligo, which caused white spots on her face and body. She cried before the pontiff as she admitted she was bullied for years and how she turned to music to ease her pain.

Pope Francis then spoke to the young woman in English, saying, "Valerie, I would like to hear you sing. May I ask of you to sing a song for me?" When she hesitated, he smiled and encouraged her to "be courageous."

Herrera performed Junto a Ti Maria (Next to You, Maria). She explained, "At first I had like no clue how to start it off. I couldn't remember the first words."

The pontiff also spoke directly to single mothers, students and an American nun before addressing hot topics like immigration, abortion and education.

Muir speaks of the Pope with great admiration in the video, saying, "We have never seen anything quite like it from a Pope but this Pope, after all, is already breaking the mold ... It truly was an extraordinary moment with Valerie and so many of the other Americans ... in that moment alone it was surprising for two reasons: First he spoke English to her ... and to see the smile on his face and to hear him speak English, he did it a number of times. This is clearly a Pope who is preparing for his visit to America."

The one-hour special edition of ABC News' 20/20 will air Friday, September 4 at 10p.m. ET and will be posted in English and Spanish at ABCNews.com.

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