12 thousand personal interviews after his morning masses in St. Martha’s House and not one day off. The Pope’s alarm clock goes off at 4:45 am and he only has one half hour nap a day. No wonder his body rebels now and again and he has to cancel certain events
When priests told him to take a break and go on holiday, Milan’s Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster smiled and answered that there would be all the time in the world to do that once he was in heaven. Francis – the Jesuit Pope whose hectic schedule would put even a 40 year old man to shame – seems to be following in his footsteps despite his age (he is 77) which sometimes leads him to have to call off a meeting or two. This was the case with his visit to the “Agostino Gemelli” hospital in Rome, Friday.
“Speaking to Italian newspaper La Stampa and Vatican Insider, the Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi explained that the Pope “decides his own agenda and leads a very intense life because he feels he is called to serve the Lord with all his strength. He never took time off even when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.” Francis doesn’t even stop on a Tuesday, the traditional day of papal rest when his predecessors usually had no audiences or other important commitments. Instead of making the most of this morning to rest, he uses it to catch up on meetings that have been put on hold. “Francis follows the lifestyle of St. Ignatius, who in the order’s constitutions defined the Jesuits as “labourers in the Lord’s vineyard” so he dedicates himself entirely to his mission, even going beyond the limits of his own strength,” Fr. Lombardi said. Continue reading
- Source: Vassallomalta
- Image: The Telegraph