Vatican, 17 May, 2023 / 1:09 pm (ACI Africa).
To the surprise of the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis briefly interrupted his Wednesday general audience to take a phone call.
After the pope greeted English-speaking pilgrims at his public audience on May 17, one of his assistants walked over to where Pope Francis was seated and handed him a cellphone.
The pope spoke quietly on the phone for about one minute while the crowd waited in silence.
After the phone call, the general audience resumed as usual with a Vatican employee reading the German translation of the pope’s catechesis.
While it is a rare occurrence to see the pope using a cellphone, it is not the first time that he has taken a call during his Wednesday audience.
Pope Francis at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 15, 2023. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
