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| Pope Francis gives a thumbs up sign as he is greeted by the faithful upon arrival for the beatification mass of Paul Yun Ji-Chung and his 123 martyr companions in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Paul Yun Ji-Chung, born in 1759, was among the earliest Catholics on the Korean Peninsula. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool) |
Good thing Pope Francis has a sense of humor.
He
called an Italian man Monday to inquire about his poor health,
according to l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. He does this
so often he's been dubbed "the Cold Call Pope."
But Franco Rabuffi hadn't heard. He thought the call was a hoax, the paper said, and hung up.
Twice.
The third time he started believing.
"I
was speechless," Rabuffi told l'Osservatore Romano. "But Pope Francis
came to my rescue, saying that what had happened was funny."
The pope even invited Rabuffi and his wife to the weekly general audience so he could hug them in person.
Rabuffi apologized and -- no surprise -- the Pope forgave him.
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| Pope Francis was apparently amused by Rabuffi’s mistake. Photograph: Reuters |
An Italian man hung up the phone on Pope Francis
twice thinking he was being pranked, but later apologised to him for
his error, the Vatican newspaper, l’Osservatore Romano, has reported.
The pontiff, who often contacts strangers who write to him or whose
problems he hears about, called Franco Rabuffi on Monday to comfort him
as he was sick.
Rabuffi disconnected the call twice thinking it was a hoax. It was
only when the pope rang back a third time that Rabuffi took him
seriously. “I was speechless but Francis came to my rescue, saying that
what had happened was funny,” he told the newspaper.
Rabuffi, along with his wife, appeared before the pope during the
Vatican’s general audience on Wednesday and apologised for his mistake.