[Trending News] The Pope's joke with Meloni: “Someone prayed to go to Paradise, but God decided that he still left me here”

20/02/2025

Updated at 7:42 p.m.

The Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' has published some phrases that Pope Francis would have shared this Wednesday with Giorgia Meloni. The source is not attributed, and from the surroundings of the Italian Prime Minister “they do not confirm them.”

«I know there is some out there that says my time has arrived. They are gafes, ”the Pope joked according to that reconstruction, in reference to the 'fake news' about his death. “Someone prayed for the pontiff to go to Paradise, but the owner of the MIES decided that he still left me here,” he would have added evoking a figure of the Gospel that refers to God as the “owner of the Mies,” or the field.

“I have to rest a while”

He describes the smiling Pope, with bright eyes and broken breathing. “Doctors say I must take care of my health, otherwise I will go straight to paradise,” he says. Then he explains that “doctors have said that I have to rest for a while.” “I must not receive many people and here I cannot work much,” he adds with a little impatience.

Perhaps remembering that the last time they were seen was during the Mass of December 24 in which the Pope inaugurated the 2025 jubilee, Francisco would have regretted “not being able to live” this event, for which specific meetings have been organized with groups of pilgrims Every week. Just this weekend Francisco would have ordered several new deacons during one of these pilgrimages, but delegated these functions in Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a great technical organizer of the Jubilee.

“Attentive and receptive”

The visit began at 3:10 p.m. and concluded at 15.30, 20 minutes later. “I am very happy to have found him attentive and receptive,” Giorgia Meloni explained in an institutional note after the meeting. He already said that “as always, we were joking.” “The Pope has not lost his proverbial sense of humor,” he added.

On the other hand, Matteo Bruni explained this tomorrow that “the Pope has passed a quiet night, has risen and has breakfast in an armchair.” The only difference with respect to yesterday's statement is that he then used the expression “has woken up.”