CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In a new interview published Sunday, Pope Francis said that though his many papal trips are often very tiring, both from a physical and mental standpoint, the people he encounters and the testimonies he hears make all of it worthwhile.<\/p>\n\u201cI always carry with me the faces, testimonials, images, experiences\u2026\u201d he said. \u201cAn unimaginable wealth, which always makes me say, it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pope\u2019s comments on traveling were made in an interview with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli of the newspaper La Stampa and the online outlet \u201cVatican Insider.\u201d The interview is part of his new book on the Pope\u2019s trips, coming out Jan. 10.<\/p>\n
In the interview, the Pope explains that he doesn\u2019t really like to travel much, saying that when he was a bishop in Buenos Aires, he preferred to stay in the area of his archdiocese. \u201cHonestly, no. I never liked to travel,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I would never have imagined doing so many trips\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
His first trip as Pope was to Lampedusa, an Italian island, on July 8, 2013. This trip was not planned, nor were there any official invitations. But, being moved by the news of migrants dying at sea there, he felt he \u201chad to go,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw pictures of the rescue of the survivors, I received testimonies on the generosity and hospitality of the inhabitants of Lampedusa. It was important to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019 next trip was to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for World Youth Day at the end of July 2013 was, of course, \u201calready on the agenda,\u201d he said. But after that \u201ccame another invitation, and then another. I simply said yes,\u201d Francis explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I feel that I have to travel, to visit the churches, to encourage the seeds of hope we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
These trips are \u201cheavy,\u201d the Pope said, but for the moment he is able to manage. Even more than the physical exertion required when traveling, he said that the time needed to prepare for each trip is also taxing. Time is spent reading and preparing, in addition to the day\u2019s regular activities, before he leaves.<\/p>\n
And when he returns, he usually needs at least a day to rest and recover.<\/p>\n
Asked what it is like to be received in the different places and to encounter the enthusiasm of the crowds of people, Francis recalled something a cardinal once said about the donkey Jesus rode during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem: did he \u201cthink that those cheers were for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere the Pope must be conscious of the fact that he \u2018brings\u2019 Jesus,\u201d Pope Francis emphasized. He \u201ctestifies to Jesus, to his proximity, closeness and tenderness to all creatures, especially those who suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this reason, he said, when crowds shout, \u201clong live the Pope,\u201d he asks them to instead shout, \u201cLong live Jesus!\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Francis then referenced a quote from Pope Paul VI to explain why he thinks it is important to make these papal trips.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that of all the dignities of a Pope, the most enviable is paternity,\u201d Pope Paul said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPaternity is an emotion that invades the spirit and the heart, that stays every hour of the day, that can\u2019t diminish, but that grows so the number of children grows. It\u2019s a feeling that doesn\u2019t tire one out or cause fatigue, but it gives rest from every cause of exhaustion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNever, not for one minute, did I ever feel tired when I raised my hand to give a blessing,\u201d Pope Paul said. \u201cNo, I\u2019ll never get tired of blessing or forgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francis said, \u201cI believe those words explain why popes in the contemporary era have decided to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite his previous feelings about traveling, Pope Francis has several big trips planned for 2017, including to Fatima, Portugal May 12-13 for the 100th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima. He will also make a few smaller trips within Italy, such as to Milan in March.<\/p>\n
Trips to India and Bangladesh are also being planned for later in the year, with Francis stating in his in-flight interview coming back from Sweden in November that going to Africa is also a possibility.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Vatican City, Jan 8, 2017 \/ 01:00 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a new interview published Sunday, Pope Francis said that though his many papal trips are often very tiring, both from a physical and mental standpoint, the people he encounters and the testimoni…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\n
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