In a letter sent to a Spanish journalist on Thursday (13), Pope Francis said that since he became pontiff he misses walking the streets as he did in Buenos Aires, “going from one parish to another”.
The confession came two days after Rome Reports news agency reporter Javier Martinez-Brocal recorded an escape from Francisco to visit a friend’s record store in the Italian capital.
On the occasion, the pope dodged security agents and arrived at the establishment in a white Fiat 500 driven by a Vatican official. The head of the Catholic Church sometimes avoids bulletproof vehicles and police escorts that attract public attention.
The attempt to circulate anonymously, however, did not work, as the Spanish reporter happened to be in the region, in the center of Rome, and filmed Francis’ visit with his cell phone. Brocal is the station’s news director and author of two books on the Vatican – one, including, on the current head of the Catholic Church.
The video was posted on Twitter and soon went viral.
In the letter released on Thursday, the pontiff congratulated the Rome Reports professional, but joked that it was “bad luck that the news got out”. “You cannot deny that it was a case of bad luck. After I had taken all the precautions, there was a reporter there at the taxi rank,” Francis wrote, thanking the journalist for doing his job, “even though he put the pope in difficulties”.
Store owners later said the pontiff stayed in the store for about 20 minutes and received a box of classical music CDs as a gift. Francisco is known for liking Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, as well as Argentine tango singers.
When he went to Rome, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, used to frequent the establishment, located next to a residence for visiting clerics.
“He came when he was bishop, archbishop and cardinal to buy classical music for himself or to give as a gift to someone. He is a lover of music, of opera, of voices. In particular, he is an admirer of [o compositor alemão Richard] Wagner,” Tiziana Esposito, the owner’s daughter, told AFP news agency, adding that the visit was “fast, immense, great, human and wonderful.”
In addition to Tiziana, her husband and mother, Letizia Giostra, who opened the establishment in 1971, work there. In Italy, as in much of the world, the sector has suffered from the advancement of technology and piracy. Currently, most of Rome’s record stores are located in small spaces, almost hidden between restaurants and souvenir shops.
This is not the first time the pope has tried to circumvent the massive security apparatus that surrounds him. In 2015, he went to an optician in the center of the Italian capital to change the frames of his glasses – the product should have been delivered to the Vatican, but the pontiff decided to go get it. The following year, Francis went to a store not far from Church headquarters to buy new shoes.
Two days after the most recent picturesque visit, the Vatican chief met with two vice-presidents of the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops), the Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Dom Jaime Spengler, and the Bishop of Roraima, Dom Mário Antônio. Silva. The president of the entity and archbishop of Belo Horizonte, Dom Walmor de Oliveira, did not travel due to the situation caused by the floods in Minas Gerais.
After the meeting, the religious gave an interview to Vatican radio and defined the meeting as “simple and fraternal”. On the occasion, an invitation was made to the Pope to visit the Amazon and also the region of Missions, in Rio Grande do Sul, where there are records of relations between Jesuits and Guarani. No dates have been set for a possible visit.
In addition, Francis discussed the country’s political, economic and social moment. At this point, still according to the representatives of the CNBB, the religious reached the consensus that “prudence, discernment, prayer and the capacity for dialogue” are necessary.
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