Vatican: The escapades of Pope Francis during his pontificate

Throughout his pontificate, there have been several occasions on which Pope Francis has made some “escapes” from the walls of the Vatican, the last known one being on Monday, July 8.

That day, according to the Italian newspaper The messengerthe Holy Father went to Alessandro Spiezia’s glasses store to change the lenses of the ones he uses, after noticing difficulties in reading the homily of a Mass on the weekend.

Pope Francis was in the store for half an hour and greeted the hundreds of faithful who recognized him and came to see him, on one of his unscheduled departures from the Vatican.

Pope Francis in a record store

On January 11, 2022, the Holy Father made a surprise visit to a record store in Rome, a moment captured by Spanish journalist Javier Martínez-Brocal.

Pope Francis was in The Pantheon-Rome Disco, founded in 1971 and specialized in the sale of vinyl, CDs and small musical instruments. It is located a few meters from the Pantheon, a famous ancient Roman temple.

New shoes for Pope Francis

On December 20, 2016, Pope Francis left the Vatican to go to the Fisioitop health orthopedics, on Via del Gelsomino, located about 500 meters from St. Peter’s Square.

“We prefer not to talk about His Holiness’s visit. We can only say that it was very beautiful,” they explained from the tent where Pope Francis spoke with those present and blessed a crucifix.

The first trip to the glasses store

Pope Francis visited the Spiezia store on September 3, 2015, to have his glasses repaired.

“I don’t want a new frame, you just have to remake the lenses. I don’t want to spend a lot. Just charge me,” the Pope told Alessandro Spiezia, owner of the optician who in seconds found himself surrounded by people, who did not They hesitated to take out their mobile devices and cameras to capture the moment.

According to The messengerSpiezia, his wife Annamaria and his son Luca, have become friends of Pope Francis and visit him with other optometrists at the Casa Santa Marta every December 13, the feast of Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind.

Was Pope Francis running away to help the poor of Rome?

In November 2013, the now Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Pontifical Almoner, was asked if Pope Francis would go out with him to help the poor of Rome.

“In the beginning, when I used to go out at night in Rome, the Pope sometimes asked me if he could accompany me, and he did not realize the problems that could be created if it were known that I was leaving the Vatican,” Krajewski then told the audience. journalists.

When I pressed the question, the Almoner responded smiling: “Let’s move on to the next question.”