“When he chose the name of that, as Pope, which Nikos Kazantzakis describes” Poor God “, Pope Francis made a statement of intentions,” said former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during the presentation of the autobiographical book, “

“A statement of intentions about his work, his ministry, his speech, his action as a Pope. A statement he confirmed with his first two books “The name of God is mercy” and “For a poor church and the poor”.

Pope Francis chose to be the pope of the poor and to be the Pope who is not only talking about religious issues, but mainly about deep human issues, about everything that concerns man and humanity, about human dramas, for great inequalities, for great inequalities, for poverty, for poverty.

“The book today presented by Gutenberg editions is a book that is unique, because it is the only autobiography of a Pope. Pope Francis attempts to be autobiographical in a book that speaks not only about his journey, but also about his passions. He talks about what he encountered in this world and, above all, about his action, his action as a Pontiff, about his actions next to man, “the former prime minister said.

Alexis Tsipras stressed that the book “talks about the tragedies of this world, talks about wars and immigration, talks about what he lived in the period he grew up and became a priest and went up to the posts of the Catholic Church in his hometown. And there he makes special reference to his family’s anti -war origin, but later on his identification with the social policy of peronism in favor of the poor. He talks about Videla’s dictatorship, the persecutions, the murders, the dark involvement of the Church with the dictatorship regime and his own action to protect the life of resistance. “

“I was fortunate and honoring to meet Pope Francis several times over 5 in individual meetings and I can say that we have developed not only an institutional relationship, but also a spiritual and human relationship. The first time I met him was in September 2014, being the leader of the opposition, shortly after SYRIZA’s victory in the European elections, when all of Europe saw that SYRIZA rose to the power of a bankrupt country, as Greece was then, after five years of continuity.

I remember that I was surprised by the only fact that he accepted to meet me, it broke the protocols, was not common. But most of all, I remember the great interest it showed for Greece. He was aware of reality, especially their great interest in our thousands of fellow citizens who at that time was below the poverty line and were facing a humanitarian crisis. Perhaps because he was strongly remembered by the Argentinean period, where his country was opposed to the wildest austerity policy of the International Monetary Fund. But what I have left of this meeting (which also broke the protocol because it was to last half an hour, take twenty minutes and lasted almost an hour.) It was his great interest in the position I developed: that there is a point of intersection between two different worldviews, one materialist and one. Marxism and Christianity, “he added.

“And the intersection point is equality and solidarity. Love for man, regardless of gender, identity, origin, national or class origin. The second time I met Pope Francis was 2016 as prime minister in Moria. It was obvious that the refugee crisis was deeply moved by him and wanted to know the details. Was found next to people. He wanted to talk to many of the refugees. And I typically remember that he was struck by how the Greek people, the inhabitants of Lesvos, were trying in every way to give these people to give support and solidarity to these people. And, of course, I had the opportunity to explain to him the pressures that were then exerted on the Greek government in order to pursue another policy in the sea in order to re -exist refugees to the sea, which we refused to rise to that rhetoric of far -right populism that they considered to be.

And I remember it was very impressed by a phrase when I was explaining to him the necessary and difficult Euro -Turkish agreement that ‘human life is more important than their agreements and articles’. And he was impressed, he is certain, as much later, in a speech to journalists on a flight, he referred to this discussion and this phrase.

Our last meeting was held during his visit to Athens here, but before that, on his official visit, but before that, I met him again at his Vatican office in September 2019 and also from this meeting I have a personal element left and I would like to submit it to him, because he also shows his interest.

“He was asking me about the refugee, about the crisis, how the situation in the country is going, the financial situation and asked me how I experienced the 2019 defeat. It was shortly after the 1919 elections and where we were discussing it took a paper, his own letterhead and wrote me some of the lyrics by Viri. Aeneas, when he leaves Troy, is at some point on the coast of Carthage and refers to his comrades and tells them a phrase that he wrote to me then: “You endure and keep yourself for the best days waiting for you.”

Thus, with these thoughts I would like to express the hope that Pope Francis will overcome the problems of his health, endure and overcome them, and in better days to continue his ministry, his work, this very important spiritual work, to continue talking about the injustices. To continue to be the Pope of the simple everyday man, the pope of the poor and his message to reach everywhere. His message of peace, especially nowadays, for ending war conflicts, for the need to look at man regardless of color, gender and religion, no matter what God he believes. And I also hope this book today presented here in Greece will be, as is the word of Pope Francis, a source of inspiration for his readers, as a source of inspiration for the Greek people would say, his speech and attitude during the difficult times of 2016, during the refugee crisis.