"United for Francis". Journalists who interviewed Pope Francis. Not one of them asked the difficult questions
Journalists who interviewed Francis review the life and work of the first Latin American Pope
Prominent figures in journalism recalled their conversations with the Supreme Pontiff and the lessons the religious leader taught them
Just over two months after his death, prominent figures in international journalism remembered Pope Francis this Thursday and shared anecdotes they shared with one of the most important spiritual and political leaders of this century.
The event took place in the "Bicentenario" Auditorium of the National University of Lanús (UNLa), located at 3901 29 de Septiembre Street, in the Buenos Aires district of the same name.
In attendance were Infobae founder Daniel Hadad; Editorial Perfil owner Jorge Fontevecchia; La Nación reporter and author of several books Elisabetta Piqué; former Télam editor Bernarda Llorente; and television host Gustavo Sylvestre.
All of them had the opportunity to interview the Supreme Pontiff and get to know him firsthand through various reports in which, with varying nuances, Jorge Bergoglio revealed his essence and vision on various topics.
In fact, the discussion was held under the title "Interviewing Francis to understand his life and thought" and was moderated by Father Maximo Jurcinovic, Director of press and communications for the Argentine episcopate.
"I believe that those of us who are here are privileged. I hadn't done an interview in many years, and when I learned that several media outlets were going to visit him, I selfishly made the decision to do it for the pleasure of speaking with him, something I had done many times, but before he became a father," Hadad explained.
Recalling that moment, the journalist noted that when he prepared for that occasion, he looked up background information and, although he found a video of a Mexican correspondent for John Paul II, it was from a trip they were taking on a plane and lasted 48 seconds. The woman was only able to ask the then-leader of the Catholic Church if he was tired from the tour and what his expectations were for what he would find in Mexico.
Furthermore, when Hadad saw all the reports from his colleagues, he realized he did the one that lasted the shortest time, and he emphasized that Mario Bergoglio dedicated "a lot of his time" to each one of them.
He also emphasized that "when time passes and one relives the conversation, one begins to see things one didn't notice before," so now, in retrospect, he understands that Francis "said many things that will go down in history."
"Pope Francis, surely, was more judged in Argentina than read. One went on social media and saw people calling him 'the Peronist Pope,' 'the K-pope,' or 'the fascist Pope,' depending on the opinion. I think he wanted to return to Argentina, but he wasn't sure if it was the right time," he added.
He then revealed what he and Bergoglio discussed in the 10 minutes they shared off-camera after the interview, and said he asked him why he specifically asked them to pray "well" for him: "Because there are some crazy people who come and do it so that my papacy ends soon," the Pontiff replied.
In this regard, Hadad highlighted the reforms Bergoglio promoted in the Church in areas such as the relationship with homosexuality, divorce, and celibacy, and expressed confidence that this vision "will create a new doctrine or someone will follow this path."
For her part, from Rome and via video call, Piqué explained that she met Bergoglio in 2001, when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and that she developed a close relationship with him over time, to the point that he baptized her two children.
At that time, the correspondent recalls that he was "a very shy person, who didn't give interviews," so she was surprised when he accepted one from her during one of his visits to the Vatican when he became cardinal.
“If there was ever a Pope who was a magician of communication, it was him. That's why I was struck by the difference from how he was before,” she noted. Furthermore, the correspondent was moved to see that the priest, after her article was published at the time, called her to thank her for her work.
Because of this, and the close relationship he built over the years, Piqué asserted that she didn't feel “at all intimidated” when she had to speak with him as head of the Church.
“In Argentina, he was very misunderstood. I remember when they would say, ‘What do you have to do with Papua New Guinea?’ Well, I remember from that trip seeing Muslims kneeling for his blessing,” she added.
In turn, Llorente considered that "it is very important in these times the country is experiencing that we remember the teachings of Francis" and opined that "he was the most exceptional being in planetary terms, because he combined many unique characteristics in a single person."
On the other hand, the former head of Télam emphasized the late Pope's message "for young people to commit themselves and emerge from indifference" and recounted the case of one of her sons, who was also baptized by him.
"At the time, my son was studying at Oxford. He was 22 years old, meaning he was a big boy whom I was baptizing, and Francis did it, he did it in the best way, because what he wanted was to contribute, not to contribute to a common home, but to contribute to the construction of a better world," she indicated.
He also asserted that "his thinking is very current" because "he constantly updated it during these 12 years of papacy," "not because he changed his thinking, but because he was probably a great communicator and capable of using the most modern tools."
Meanwhile, Sylvestre claimed that "someone should call for dialogue again today, when hatred reigns in the country, especially among the political leadership."
The television host revealed an email Bergoglio sent him in which he acknowledged that he would have "liked to return to Argentina, especially after the failed trip in 2017."
He recalled that on that occasion, the Supreme Pontiff had to suspend his Latin American tour for the elections in Chile to avoid getting involved in the process.
"I'll say everything, and I know there were some within the Macri administration who wanted to transform him into the leader of the opposition, and he asked many of them to respect the institutions," he commented.
Finally, Fontevecchia noted that his interview "was a conversation between an agnostic and a Pope," but he thanked Catholicism because it was through church organizations that he began to delve into journalism.
Since his father owned a printing press, and given that the Church placed great importance on the press and communication of its activities, he was close to religion from childhood, but as an adult, he stopped believing, he said.
Finally, he emphasized that Bergoglio accepted his conditions for the interview, in which he asked him 70 questions that he himself chose and addressed topics that "interested him personally" rather than for journalistic reasons.
"Francis transcended the Church; he was a world leader. He was, without a doubt, a politician. He knew what to say to everyone to make them happy; we all left feeling like we were the best. He had a great command of power," he concluded.
The event was initiated by the Unidos por Francisco - "United for Francis" group, a diverse organization made up of political, union, academic, and social leaders.
The audience included, for example, Alejandro Slokar, a judge at the Court of Cassation, a professor at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and the National University of La Plata (UNLP), and one of the driving forces behind the Human Justice dialogues.
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