We begin speaking about many things, but above all about his trip to Brazil. The pope welcomes me with that smile that has already travelled all around the world, that same smile that opens hearts. The spirituality of Jorge Mario Bergoglio is not made of “harmonized energies,” ashe would call them, but of human faces: Christ, St. Joseph sleeping, very similar to the one which I had seen in his office at the Colegio Máximo de San Miguel, where he was rector and also provincial superior. Francis, a statue of Our Lady of Luján, patron saint of Argentina, a crucifix and a statue of St. I am impressed not only by the simplicity of the furniture, but also by the objects in the room. The workspace occupied by the desk is small. He himself sits on a chair that is higher and stiffer because of his back problems. I enter his room and the pope invites me to sit in his easy chair. In meeting him here, I had the pleasant impression that I was not crossing any threshold. I emerge from the lift and I see the pope already waiting for me at the door. I had a discussion with the other editors, during which we proposed some questions that would express everyone’s interests. This short wait gave me the opportunity to remember the meeting in Lisbon of the editors of a number of journals of the Society of Jesus, at which the proposal emerged to publish jointly an interview with the pope. I do not have to wait for long and after a few minutes I am brought over to the lift. The people who welcome me tell me to make myself comfortable in one of the parlors. I, however, inherited from my father the habit of arriving early for everything. I have an appointment with Pope Francis at 10 a.m. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters. America is solely responsible for the accuracy of this translation.įather Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he has chosen to live since his election. After the Italian text was officially approved, America commissioned a team of five independent experts to translate it into English. The editorial teams at each of the journals prepared questions and sent them to Father Spadaro, who then consolidated and organized them. Father Spadaro conducted the interview on behalf of La Civiltà Cattolica, America and several other major Jesuit journals around the world.
The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome.
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