“Pope Francis once said, ‘A priest should smell of sheep. If a priest were, let’s say, a shepherd, he must smell of sheep, as he has to be the person closest to his sheep.’ Likewise, a priest must be the person closest to his people, smelling and smelling of their flesh.”

Christian Martini Grimaldi, a journalist covering Vatican City, chose that quote from the pope as the best message he’d ever heard, during a press conference held to mark the Korean publication of his book, “Ero Bergoglio, Sono Francesco,” on August 11 at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul.

The Italian book focuses on bringing to light the pope as a human being. It has now been published in Korean, just in time for the pope’s upcoming visit to Korea.


The book began on March 13, 2013, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio, then a cardinal, was elected as the 266th pope. After the announcement, Grimaldi flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of the new pope, in order to trace Bergoglio's life pre-appointment.

While in Argentina for about 20 days, Grimaldi met a series of people who had been in contact for many years with the man who is now the pope. He spoke with many people, from the pope’s close friends and classmates to even those who had just seen him from a distance.

Talking to people who knew or were close to Bergoglio, the writer found that the pope would never go anywhere without stopping to help the poor, the sick and the people who needed help. He would talk to them over mate tea and help them recover. He even took a risk by saving some young women who had been forced into prostitution.

“A very humble man,” and, “A very simple man who takes the subway, refusing to be chauffeured,” are common descriptions of Bergoglio from the people the author encountered.


“The pope once got furious when he saw some priests living in a luxurious residence and riding in a fancy car,” the writer remembered. “He has emphasized that priests should always keep a low profile. The pope always cares for and gives a hand to the destitute and to the neglected. The world he thinks of as being ideal is one where all are equal and all exist in parallel with each other, in a 'horizontal network.’”



By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr