‘We’re really happy,’ said Alejandro Romero, one of the 100 Spanish thalidomide victims who travelled to the Vatican to meet the pope. ‘He promised he would try to help. He’s the most important diplomat in the world, so maybe he can ring people that won’t speak to us on the phone.’ An estimated 3,000 Spaniards are believed to have suffered severe birth defects after their mothers took thalidomide, prescribed by Spanish doctors five decades ago to combat morning sickness during pregnancy. Unlike victims in many other countries in Europe, only two dozen victims in Spain have ever received any kind of compensation. Many of them were unable to meet the stringent criteria set out by the drug’s manufacturer, asking for the bottle of medication taken by their mother decades ago and, at times, the doctor’s prescription, in order to offer compensation. And unlike other governments in Europe, successive Spanish governments have refused to create a fund for victims.