What's interesting about the Vatican?

The Vatican's new pope said no to luxury life, claiming that hotels are home.

20 13-03-29 02:5 1 global times I have something to say: TT

On the 27th, the new pope in plain clothes waved to the people.

The Global Times reported that the new Pope Francis was known for its simple life before it moved into the Vatican. Now, he has no intention of changing. As the new Pope, Francis still lives in a hotel in the Vatican instead of a luxury apartment in the Catholic Palace, the Associated Press reported on the 28th. He called himself Berglio, not Pope. Public opinion even wondered whether Francis didn't want to be pope at all.

The Associated Press reported on the 28th that Francis won the Golden Cross after his election, but instead of wearing it, he continued to wear the simple cross he wore as a bishop. He also gave up the cloak of Red Velvet worn by Benedict XVI when he made his first public appearance after taking office, and chose the long white dress worn by ordinary priests. In addition to clothing, Francis is also very low-key in the choice of residence. The papal residence in the papal palace has been renovated, but Francis announced this week that he is still staying at the Vatican santa marta Hotel where Cardinal 1 15 stayed during the papal election meeting. He called this hotel "home". This shows that Francis wants to live with ordinary people, not in a "gilded cage" in a Catholic palace. Even if he became pope, he still ate in the public restaurant of the hotel as in the past two weeks, and held a mass in the chapel of the hotel at 7 am, inviting people from all walks of life to attend his daily mass, including gardeners, cleaners, hotel employees and employees of Vatican newspapers.

In addition, unlike his predecessor, Francis did not write "Pope Francis" when signing, but only wrote "Francis" on the official letter. Even on his first day in office, he refused to admit that he was the Pope. /kloc-On the evening of March, he told tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on the balcony of St. Peter's Church that the cardinal's task at the papal election meeting was to "give Rome a bishop". Since then, he has repeatedly reiterated the title of "Bishop of Rome" without using "Agent of Jesus" or any other official title. To those closest to him, he is still Berglio. This week, the official Italian radio broadcast a voice message, the content is to wish a friend a happy birthday. The Pope said, "I am Berglio."

But Francis also made concessions. In recent days, he moved from the narrow room 207 of the hotel to the larger suite 20 1. This suite has a study and a living room, which can receive guests. And the decoration of the room is better than other rooms. Francis initially refused to move to this suite for understandable reasons. He was unwilling to accept the position of Pope in the first place.

On Wednesday, the Vatican revealed that when formally asked if he was willing to accept the results of the papal election meeting, he said in the Sistine Chapel: "I am a great sinner. I believe in God's kindness and patience, and I am willing to accept it painfully. " Unwilling to live in an apartment in the Pope's palace may indicate that he wants to keep his distance from Vatican bureaucrats. After Francis took office, one of his main tasks was to rectify the internal disputes and corruption in the Vatican bureaucracy.

Francis's various performances make people feel that he is trying to mystify the papacy. John Allen, a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, said, "I think he is trying to reduce the majesty, grandeur and authority of the papacy. This is partly due to his nature. He never likes ostentation and extravagance. " Anton Wallemme, from the Greek Orthodox area in the United States, said that Francis's gesture, choice and emphasis clearly showed his personality and simple concepts. Wallemme said: "Does this confirm the papal trend we have witnessed in the past few years? This may remain to be seen. "

Special correspondent of Global Times in Italy Ning Ning Special correspondent of this newspaper Wang Xiaoxiong