When Pope Francis Goes Off Script, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, Jan 23, 2024

Back when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio declined a journalist’s request for an in-depth interview. He explained that he did not feel comfortable expressing himself in an interview format; he suggested anyone who wanted to understand his thinking would be better served by reading his written works.

But that was a long time ago. Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has shown no such aversion to unscripted conversations. He is surely the most-interviewed Pontiff in history, with dozens of in-depth conversations published during his papacy. Along with the formal interviews that appear in newspapers and magazines, he has engaged in question-and-answer exchanges with all sorts of audiences. In fact papal trips abroad now routinely include a Q+A session with members of the local Jesuit community. …

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