Wow. This is amazing.
The Telegraph reports:
Michele Ferri is the brother of 51-year-old Andrea, a petrol station manager who was allegedly gunned down by two men including one young employee he treated like a son.
The death shocked the north-eastern town of Pesaro.
Michele Ferri wrote a letter to the Pope telling him of his inability to forgive the killers and was shocked when he picked up the telephone on Wednesday evening to hear: “Ciao Michele, it’s Pope Francis.”
At first Mr Ferri thought it was a joke but said he was overcome with emotion when he realised it was really Francis on the line from the Vatican.
“He told me he cried when he read the letter I wrote to him,” Mr Ferri said.
The Pope also asked to speak to Mr Ferri’s mother to express his personal sympathy.
I don’t really have anything to add. But this is truly “pastoral.”
August 14, 2013 at 6:02 pm
Wow.
August 14, 2013 at 7:32 pm
"Wow," indeed. Just like St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans.
The bureaucratic prelates in the Vatican must really love this. Uh, yeah.
August 15, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Pope Francis's actions and words since becoming pope have been some what erratic to me, but this is a pope being a pope at the most basic level, as a pastor of his flock.
August 17, 2013 at 3:52 am
Pretty amazing!
I think Andrea was Michele's brother; there's a pizza joint where I live, called Pizza Andrea. Andrea is a guy and has pictures of Pope John Paul II and Padre Pio hanging where people can see them. Oh, and in the article, it says one of the gunmen was a young employee who he treated as a son.