Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: The Last Wish of Jens Pascal

A Catholic church in Germany has decided to allow the parents of Jens Pascal, a nine year old boy who died from a brain tumor, to decorate the tomb with the logo of his favorite football club Borussia Dortmund, thus fulfilling the boy’s deathbed wish before he passed away earlier in May.

When the church initially denied the request on the grounds that non-Christian elements are not allowed on the gravestone, the story was quickly picked up by the German news media and caused a stir among soccer fans on Facebook, where nearly 150,000 people flocked to the group “The Last Wish of Jens Pascal” and protested the church’s denial.

Eventually on Monday, the church released a statement saying that a soccer ball and the club’s logo will be placed on the ground (though not on the top of the gravestone).