Pope Francis joke: A bishop who wanted to be a cardinal punched me

Archbishop Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre (Brazil) witnessed a moment of humor from Pope Francis after the consistory on Saturday, December 7 in which he was created cardinal.

The Pope had a bruise on his chin. “After Sunday Mass I came in a wheelchair and asked, ‘Holy Father, what happened?’” Cardinal Spengler said. “His response: ‘Do you know what it was? A bishop wanted to be a cardinal. I didn’t name him and he punched me.’”

The cardinal told this story in one of his first activities in his archdiocese as a cardinal. Cardinal Spengler participated on Thursday, December 12, in a meeting promoted by the Association of Directors of Christian Companies (ADCE, for its acronym in Portuguese) of Porto Alegre.

The conference took place in the São Manoel parish, located in the Bela Vista neighborhood, in the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The cardinal was invited to speak about the Synodality of Synodality, concluded at the end of October.

spirit of communion

In a conference of about 20 minutes, the Archbishop of Porto Alegre spoke about different aspects of the dynamics of the synodal assembly.

“I highlight the spirit of communion that was there,” Dom Jaime said. “Despite the differences, and there are enormous differences within the Church, the objective was to find common lines of action for the Church today and tomorrow. How can we dialogue with this new culture that we have before us? What ecclesiology do we want for the Church? I believe it was a prophetic sign that transcended the spaces of the Church itself. “Although there is a tendency toward ideological closure in some groups, the Church shows the opposite path, through listening and dialogue, respecting differences, finding common lines of action for its presence and action in the different cultures of today,” said the cardinal.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in ACI Digital.