Quebec boy, 9, sings for Pope Benedict

A nine-year-old boy from the Quebec City area livedhis dream of singing for the Pope onThursday in Rome.

Jrmy Gabriel, who suffers from a rare syndrome that causes facial disfigurement and deafness, sang unaccompanied in a clear, true voice fora small group that included Pope Benedict XVI.

The song was Je louerai l'ternel, which means "I will praise God."

The boy later had a private audience at the Vatican with the Pope, who hugged him and gave him a rosary.

"My heart was beating very fast, but once I started singing I was fine," Jrmy later told the Associated Press, speaking in French.

Jrmy's parents and two sisters accompanied him to Rome for the occasion.

The boy had wanted to sing for the pontiffsince he watched the funeral of Pope John Paul II on television last year and saw Benedict being elected as his successor.

Born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, the boy has had several operations to restore his hearing. He is frail and must receive blood transfusions every two weeks.

Jrmy has already made headlines by singing the national anthem before a Montreal Canadiens game and by performing with Cline Dion.

Jrmy's audience with the Pope took place just before the papal blessing of the Quebec-made work of art entitled The Ark of the New Covenant at the Vatican.

The ark is a Quebec artisan's version ofthe Ark of the Covenant, which according to the Old Testament held the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

The new ark, which is decorated withiconic images and measures approximately 1.2 metres wide, 0.6 metres high, and 0.6 metres deep, will make its wayacross Canada en route to the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City in 2008.

Roman Catholics in Canada are hoping that Pope Benedictwill be able to attend the closing ceremonies of the international gathering in 2008, but with the visit two years away the Vatican says it will depend on the Pope's health at that time.