A new book coming out in the coming days sheds light on the unknown side of Pope Francis, with revelations about his last wishes and daily habits.

In the book titled “Padre: Un ritratto inedito di papa Francesco” (The Father: An Unpublished Portrait of Pope Francis), Vatican media journalist Salvatore Cernuzio presents personal stories, emotions and a look at the last period of the Pope’s life. Pope, as the first anniversary of his death approaches.

Pope Francis had expressed his desire to spend his (last, as it turned out) Christmas in Gaza, at the parish he had called every night at 7:00 pm since the Israeli bombardment began. He was also planning a trip to Calabria to honor migrants who died in the Cutro area in a shipwreck in 2023, as well as to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde to experience firsthand the tragedy of people trying to reach Europe from Africa. These trips are revealed in Cernuzio’s book, which is published on April 7.

Some of the most interesting revelations concern the Pope’s personal opinion of various leaders and public figures. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who appeared at an event in 2023 dressed in white, like the Pope, was a topic of conversation for Francis, who laughingly told Cernuzio: “I saw her on stage dressed in white and I said: Have you come to make your first communion?”

Beyond humor, however, the Pope had, according to the journalist, genuine sympathy for Melonin.

“Presidente De Luca, sono quella str**za della Meloni. Come sta?”, così la premier ha salutato al suo arrivo a Caivano il presidente della Regione Campania, Vincenzo De Luca. Poi i due si sono scambiati una stretta di mano. #giorgiameloni #caivano #vincenzodeluca pic.twitter.com/d1N78455OO

The need for humanity and letters to Mongolia

In addition to personal appreciation, Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit Gaza and the Canary Islands in order to experience the tragedy of migration. The book also records his desire to visit Mongolia and China. Although he did not make these visits, the fact that the Pope often sent personal letters with plans for his future shows his strong desire to stay in touch with the realities of global society.

On the morning of April 21, 2025, the Pope asked for water and told the nurse: “Thank you, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” These were his last words, a few minutes before his death.

Salvatore Cernuzio, speaking at the moment of the Pope’s funeral, declared: “I felt nothing when I saw the body in the coffin. It was not him. It was weak, like marble. In my memory, the Pope was on the second floor in Santa Marta reading or listening to loud music.” “Father, why this music?”, he asked him to answer: “I do it from time to time, don’t you like it?”. /tesheshi.com/

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Source: prizrenpost