Man takes his young goddaughter to see the Pope and she steals his hat

A man took his young goddaughter to meet to Pope Francis, only to watch in horror as she stole the Pontiff's hat.

Three-year-old Estella Westrick, from Atlanta, Georgia, was visiting the weekly papal audience with her family and godfather, Mountain Butorac.

Estella was called over by security to meet the head of the Catholic church. As he kissed her on the cheek, she quickly made her move.

Her hand reached out and removed the Pope’s cap, known as a zucchetto, much to the amusement of bystanders.

“She was a little nervous to meet him at first,” Mr Butorac told The Independent. “But she loosened up pretty quickly”

Happily, Pope Francis took the incident well, bursting into laughter while retrieving his headwear.

Mr Butorac said Estella’s parents, Scott and Alexis, were “maybe horrified at first” but then found it funny.

He added: “As her godfather, it was great that she got to meet the Pope, and it was great to see him burst out laughing.”

Mr Butorac said the family had arrived hours ahead of the appearance at 7am to secure a good spot in the audience.