Pope Francis Personally Calls Teen Who Wrote Him Letter

Forget letters, if you write to Pope Francis he’ll just pick up the phone and give you a call.

At least that’s what happened to 19-year-old Stefano Cabizza, an information technology student from northern Italy. His letter, written a few weeks ago, was pretty mundane. In it, Cabizza simply described his life and his goals, as well as his hope that he’ll find gainful employment after he graduates.

He thought nothing of it, but a few weeks later, the call came. Actually, it was the second call. Pope Francis called him once before, but missed him. So what does Pope Francis do? He tries again later.

“I couldn’t believe it. We laughed and joked for about eight minutes. He called me around five o’clock after finding that I was not at home the first time around,” Cabizza said.

“He asked me to pray for him and then he gave me a blessing. It was the most beautiful day of my life.”

Pope Francis also illustrated a pretty profound theological belief during the conversation. Continuing to distance himself from the pomp that the Holy See has become known for, he told Cabizza to address him with the informal “tu” instead of “lei.”

“He said to me, do you think the Apostles would have used the polite form with Christ? Would they have called him your excellency? They were friends, just as you and I are now, and with friends I’m accustomed to using ‘tu’.”

Wow.

This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has shown he’s a fan of the phone. After he was elected Pope, he personally phoned the newspaper carrier in his native Buenos Aires to cancel his subscription.

[Image: Wikimedia Commons]