The Pope of hope and mercy, Francis was a man who genuinely enjoyed contact with people. He stopped to listen to them, he was moved by them, he suffered their pain, he was indignant at their marginalization, and he had words of encouragement for everyone. He had a gaze that saw deeply into the individual being of each person, without looking at their faults. It was in human frailty that he recognized the face of Christ and in the spaces of the peripheries that he best encountered the great challenges of transformation that the Gospel poses to developed societies.
But Pope Francis was also the Pope of smiles and humor. In his autobiography he rightly refers to a God who smiles, and he finds truly evangelical qualities in humor. Contrary to the English saying that “the devil is in the details”, for Pope Francis it is in the details that God manifests himself. And that detail extends from caring for others to the ridiculousness of a situation and, ultimately, to the joy that gives life meaning. The Pope's gaze was one of constant enchantment at the wonder of the world and the diversity of people. An amusing episode that happened to me during World Youth Day demonstrates this abundantly.
The day was August 3rd, at the Catholic University. After an exciting and emotional session, the Pope headed for the exit and I accompanied him. It was a hot day and, as usual with the Pope, I wore a discreet black suit. But, after all, it was summer and Lisbon's August is inclement. So he wore colorful sandals, which cut the formality. When I got to the car, the Pope opened the window and called me over and, with his tender and disarming humor, he commented with a smile: “I was delighted to see a rector wearing such youthful shoes!” Those around her couldn't contain their laughter.
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