Pope Francis dies - Remembering the playful pontiff who made others laugh: Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Monday (Apr 21), the Vatican announced. The pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church was known for being very people-friendly, approachable and playful. He was a welcome relief from some of his predecessors who used to keep a serious demeanour. His humour sense and kind-heartedness often helped the Argentinian pontiff navigate through some of the major crises of his 12-year papacy.

Here are some instances of Pope Francis being funny and playful, and above all, a kind human being.

Advertisment

 

My knee needs some tequila: Pope makes light of his poor health

Advertisment

In the past few years, Pope Francis had faced several health issues due to his advanced age. One such was his knee ailment, which became visible as he started to limp. While attending a general audience in May 2022, he was asked by a group of Mexican seminarians from the Legion of Christ as to what he wished for.

Pope Francis chose THIS footballer as his favourite. Hint: It's not Messi or Maradona

He said he needed 'some tequila' for his knee. This had the seminarians in stitches. They promised to bring him a bottle of tequila if they visited him at Santa Marta.

Advertisment

A prayer for humour and a famous meeting with comedians

Pope Francis's wit was often compared to that of Pope St. John XXIII.

This was in full display when he met a bunch of comedians, including some top names from the US, at the Vatican in 2024.

‘Who am I to judge’: Stance on LGBTQ, surrogacy among most contentious moments of Pope Francis’ papacy


He stressed the importance of humour and shared that he uses St Thomas More’s prayer for good humour, which goes: “Grant me, O Lord, a good sense of humour.” 

Can we make fun of God?

According to Pope, it is fine to make fun of God as long as the joke is not offensive

Pope Francis and the beautiful game: A pontiff who found joy and faith in football

“Of course, we can [make fun of God], just as we play and joke with the people we love,” he said during the 2024 audience with more than 100 comedians. 

"In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles," he told them.

A sandwich for the guard

Once, Pope Francis had an interaction with a member of the Swiss Guard who was among his security detail. The pontiff learned that the guardsman could not sit down for long time, as he was ordered to stand for the pontiff's protection. "Is that so?", he asked, and then said "well, I am the Pope, and I ask you to sit down." He then went and fetched a sandwich, and gave the same to the guard.

A Fiat ride in Washington DC

The pope often showed a child-like innocence, which made him endearing to millions of his followers. He could be considered one of the wealthiest people in the world, given the Catholic Church's fortunes, but the Pope remained humble too.

Swiss Guard began rehearsing for Pope Francis' funeral after he warned his close aides he 'might not make it this time'

One such instance happened in Washington DC, during his US visit in 2015. Instead of luxury vehicles, the pope chose to ride on a small Fiat 500L. Reports at the time said the car was priced around $20,000 dollars much lower than luxury vehicles.

As the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis had access to various cars, including luxury vehicles like a Lamborghini, which he was gifted, but chose to auction off for charity.