A man who maintained simplicity and remained accessible even in the highest hierarchy of the church. This is the description that Pope Francis make to CNN when talking about the pontiff.
Argentine Father Fabián Báez met the Pontiff when he was still called Jorge Bergoglio and was a confessor of the Jesuit Church in the 1980s. He says that the Pope had never had a cell phone, even when he became a cardinal from Buenos Aires and to talk to him, it was necessary to send a fax for him to return.
“He soon communicated, it was very accessible. When we needed it, he was present. And as Pope was the same. At the time I had to talk to him, I emailed one of his secretaries and he wrote me or turned back,” describes the Pope’s friend.
In addition to being affordable, friends say he always maintained simplicity. “He lived in a very small apartment and had no team, so I went to eat with him and said to me: you make the pasta and I warm the sauce,” says Báez.
Báez says that when he was in the maximum position of the Argentine Church, Bergoglio lived in a very small room in the archbishop, located in May Square. “He was a very austere man who as archbishop walked on the street and took buses and subway,” he says.
“When he came to a parish, he was in public transportation. More than once I accompanied him to take the bus somewhere, wait with him. It was ordinary,” recalls the friend.
Rabbi Daniel Goldman says he sometimes received Bergoglio to have lunch at his home and received a call from him hours earlier. “He called me to ask what bus number had to take to come from the city center. This definitely shows him as a simple man who traveled on bus, a man from the people,” he says.
Goldman describes the Pope as a “very simple and sensitive” man, and makes a point of emphasizing his good humor.
“Despite this serious gesture that often the Pope’s great figure is seen, he is a very good man who likes football, taking mate and who counts many jokes and very good,” he concludes.
This content was originally published in a jokes and took buses even as archbishop, report friends from the Pope on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
