'Hello, this is Pope Francis.' This is how Giacomo Cofano, a father who had lost his wife after giving birth to twins a few days prior in a hospital in Brindisi, Italy, received the call on the afternoon of December 25.
Fr. Donato Luizzi informed the Pope of this father of three's situation.
Hours before picking up the phone, Pope Francis sent a letter to the priest, who has shared the whole story on his social media accounts.
This is not the first time the Pope has made this kind of personal gesture. He once called a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns in southern Spain. When they didn't answer, he left a message on their answering machine.
Pope Francis also called a dentist in Buenos Aires to cancel an appointment. Another example is when he personally reached out to his newsagent to say he would no longer be buying the newspaper after being elected Pope.
CA
TR: KG