By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Madrid, Spain, Dec 17, 2024 / 17:10 pm
Did you know Pope Francis was a nightclub bouncer, his favorite movie is “La Strada” by Federico Fellini, and that he doesn’t watch television? On the occasion of his 88th birthday, these and other interesting facts about Pope Francis are highlighted below.
1. How did he discover his vocation?
On the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, Pope Francis discovered his vocation to the priesthood after going to confession when he was 16 years old. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953. It was Student Day in Argentina, which coincides with the day when spring begins in the southern hemisphere and is celebrated with a big party.
“Before going to the party, I passed by the parish I attended and I found a priest I didn’t know and I felt the need to go to confession. This was for me an experience of encounter: I found Someone who was waiting for me.”
“I don’t know what happened, I don’t remember, I don’t know why that priest was there, whom I didn’t know, why I had felt that desire to go to confession, but the truth is that Someone was waiting for me. He had been waiting for me for a long time. After confession I felt that something had changed,” the Holy Father shared.
He said that after that confession he said that he was no longer himself: “I had heard something like a voice, a call: I was convinced that I had to be a priest.”
2. What is his favorite dish?
Nov. 19, 2022, was one of those rare occasions when Pope Francis left the Vatican without an official program.
7 Interesting Facts About Pope Francis You Didn’t Know
Recently, Pope Francis attended a family reunion in Asti, the Italian city where his cousin Daniela di Tiglione lives, who was celebrating her 90th birthday. It was a special occasion for the Pope, who was able to enjoy his favorite dish, Bagna Cauda, a typical Piedmont dish made with anchovies, oil, and garlic, used as a sauce for vegetables.
3. A passion for tango
Before becoming a priest, Pope Francis had a passion for tango, one of the most emblematic dances of Argentina. He also enjoyed the milonga, another traditional dance from his homeland.
4. He was a bouncer in a nightclub
Like many young men, Jorge Bergoglio worked various jobs to earn his first salary. In 2013, he confessed to a group of young people that he was once a bouncer at a nightclub. This experience led him to guide disillusioned individuals towards the Church.
5. He’s missing a lung
At the age of 21, Pope Francis had to have a lung removed due to an infection, which has caused him to experience breathing difficulties in recent years.
6. He has refused forgiveness only once
Despite encouraging priests to forgive “everything” in the confessional, Pope Francis revealed that he has only refused forgiveness once in his more than 50 years as a priest, citing the hypocrisy of the individual as the reason.
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