Bad luck: Pope acknowledges he got caught at record store

ROME — Pope Francis has agelong lamented that helium can’t locomotion astir municipality unnoticed similar helium utilized to earlier becoming pope. But helium seems to person nevertheless kept his consciousness of wit aft helium was caught connected camera making an unannounced sojourn to a Rome grounds store this week.

Francis wrote a enactment to the Vatican newsman who happened to beryllium successful the close spot astatine the close clip Tuesday evening erstwhile the pope slipped retired of the Vatican to bless the recently renovated Stereo Sound store adjacent the Pantheon.

Javier Martinez-Brocal, manager of the Rome Reports quality agency, filmed Francis leaving the shop, successful footage that went viral and adjacent got written up successful the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

Martinez-Brocal wrote the pope a enactment afterward, explaining that helium wasn’t a paparazzo and regretting Francis can’t determination astir unnoticed anymore, but adding that the communicative provided a much-needed dose of bully quality for a satellite inundated with tragedy.

“I won’t contradict that it was (bad luck) that aft taking each the precautions, determination was a writer waiting for idiosyncratic connected the taxi line,” Francis replied. But helium added: “You can’t suffer your consciousness of humor.”

Writing successful his trademark tiny script, Francis past repeated that what helium misses astir astir being pope is nary longer being capable to instrumentality walks, arsenic helium utilized to bash successful Buenos Aires. The erstwhile Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was known for taking nationalist transport astir the Argentine capital, eschewing the backstage cars that chap cardinals usually instrumentality to sojourn parishes. He became pope successful 2013.

Francis acknowledged that Martinez-Brocal was lone doing his occupation arsenic a writer erstwhile helium recorded the event. “Thank you for doing your vocation, adjacent if it enactment the pope successful difficulty,” helium quipped.

The store owners aboriginal told The Associated Press that Francis had arrived unannounced astatine astir 7 p.m., aft helium had told them during a erstwhile brushwood astatine the Vatican that helium would travel to visit. “He walked successful the store and it was an astonishing meeting. And arsenic helium promised, helium blessed the shop,” said store proprietor Tiziana Esposito.

Co-owner Danilo Genio said Francis was a longtime lawsuit who had popped successful whenever helium was successful Rome for meetings astatine the Vatican erstwhile helium was a priest, archbishop and past cardinal successful Buenos Aires.

“When helium came to Rome to spell to the Vatican helium utilized to travel present archetypal to bargain immoderate gifts,” helium said.

Francis, who grew up listening to opera connected the vigor and loves tango, Mozart and Wagner, didn’t bargain thing this clip around. But the store owners gave him a CD of classical music.

Paolo Santalucia contributed to this story.