‘He had only just become archbishop when he invited me to lunch, which was unusual for him because he did not normally eat out. On that occasion, he told me, ” I prefer not to interact directly with journalists. I am not comfortable with interviews. Please can you find a solution?” In response to this request, Father Guillermo Marcó proposed the establishment of a press office and the appointment of a spokesperson responsible for relations with the media. This allowed Bergoglio to focus solely on public statements, such as homilies, and personal meetings. Father Marcó collaborated closely with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio for almost nine years, from 1994 to 2003, accompanying him through the challenges posed by communication and pastoral life. He is currently in Rome to attend Pope Francis’s funeral, fondly remembering a deeply humane shepherd:
“Jorge Mario Bergoglio had a special quality: he could address issues of the utmost importance while paying close attention to detail and treating people as individuals.”
He remembers a particularly touching incident involving a mother whose son had taken his own life: “Although the Pope had never met her, he learned about her situation and asked to phone her himself. The woman recently told me that the Pope’s unexpected gesture had literally saved her life. She wrote to me, ‘He pulled me out of depression.’”
In response to our question as to how Cardinal Bergoglio dealt with difficulties, Father Marcó replied, “He dealt with them, of course, thanks to his extraordinary serenity. When the Argentinian journalist Horacio Verbitsky published articles accusing him of alleged misconduct during the dictatorship, he responded with the utmost serenity. I recall him telling me, ‘It’s a black legend. I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.’” As evidence of this transparency, Bergoglio showed Father Marcó his personal archive. “He had kept correspondence documenting the events of that time.” His ability to maintain his inner peace, even in the most adverse circumstances, without succumbing to bitterness or aggressive reactions, made a deep impression on his collaborator. In his daily life, far from official events, Cardinal Bergoglio consistently displayed profound humanity:
“He was a man of great silence, with an exceptional capacity for listening. Whenever someone approached him with a problem, he never asked many questions; he simply listened and offered support. In his presence, nothing else existed: mobile phones were turned off and interruptions were not permitted. One could be sure that, at that moment, the issue being discussed was the only thing that really mattered.”
“If I were to share a lesser-known character trait of Pope Francis with Italian Catholics, I would choose his sense of humour, which was more evident in private than in public,” says Father Marcó. He enjoyed a good laugh and would often tease his closest collaborators affectionately, a trait typical of Argentinians.” He recalls that, after receiving daily briefings, Bergoglio would always find a way to lighten the mood.
“Problems that struck me as insurmountable were, for him, opportunities to smile.”
His ability to face life with joy and a light heart while never descending into shallowness was, for Father Marcó, ‘a deeply authentic trait of his personality, unknown to most, but decisive in shaping his humanity’. For Father Marcó, “his ability to smile and laugh in the face of difficulty is perhaps the most beautiful legacy he leaves behind: a deeply Christian approach to life, characterised by unwavering faith and an appreciation of its beauty.”
