Hello, Francis speaking

(Public Domain)

Imagine picking up the phone and hearing these words:  Hello, this is Pope Francis.

Perhaps you've written him a letter and simply addressed it to "Holy

Father Pope Francis, Vatican City, Rome" as Anna Romano did. 

Romano's letter explained that her boyfriend had urged her to get an

abortion after finding out she was pregnant.

Apparently this letter reached its intended destination because when

Romano heard the phoned-in words "Hello, this is Pope Francis," she immediately recognized the Holy Father's voice.  He not only reassured her that the baby was "a gift from God," but also offered to baptize the child himself.

Now perhaps you're thinking that this is an isolated case.  Not in the least.  According to Religion World News, the "cold-call pope" has also reached out to a woman who was raped, an engineering student with fears of not finding a job, and a man "who has struggled to forgive God after the murder of his brother."

On the other hand, Vatican Spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi warns that not all papal-sounding calls have been authentic.  Rumor to the contrary, the Pope did not recently phone Syrian President Assad just to say "Hello…"

Resources

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/09/06/fpope-francis-the-cold-call-pope-reaches-out-and-touches-a-lot-of-people/

Copyright September 7, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved