Going Along for a Ride with Pope Francis

By now, many have a favorite photo of Pope Francis. His moments with Vinicio Riva is certainly a leading contender.

The news.va site — one of the best places to go to read what the pope is actually saying on a regular basis — has a great image of Fr. Federico Lombardi of the Vatican press office with Pope Francis yesterday. It was on the plane back to Rome after the pope spoke to the European parliament. As is typical now, the pope talked with the press. And expressed, apparently, a concern that he is getting an insect treatment (examining him and his every word as if he is one!).

(One of my regrets in life is that I do not speak Italian and am not permanently embedded for such flights. Then there would be no waiting for transcripts after headlines have long been written.)

The pope often talks about the importance of being open to God’s surprises. Here Fr. Lombardi certainly seems on the ride for this pontiff’s!