The Pope has earned a new nickname.
People are calling Pope Francis "The Cold Call Pope," for the phone calls he has personally made to various everyday folks.
The papal has spent his time as Pope attempting to change the public's perception of the Vatican, in addition to his role as a religious leader, by making his presence personal.
He began calling people on the phone who reached out to him with stories of strife, including one rape victim who said she felt like she was "being touched by God" when she heard a voice on the other line say, "it's Pope Francis."
This past month, the Pontiff called a pregnant Italian woman whose married boyfriend pushed her to get an abortion to ensure their affair remained under wraps. The woman wrote to the Pope, saying that although she had not terminated her pregnancy, she feared she'd still sinned greatly. He told her he would personally baptize the child after the single, divorced mother gave birth in 2014, Turin newspaper La Stampa reported.
Pesaro, Italy resident Michele Ferri told the New York Times he wrote to the Pope in early August after a "series of tragedies in the family."
When he heard the person on the other end say, "Hello, Michele, it's Pope Francis," he thought it was a prank call.
"But then he spoke about the letter I'd written, a letter I hadn't told anyone about, not even my mother or my wife, and I knew that it was him," Michele stated.
After reading the letter that detailed the June murder of his brother during a robbery at a gas station, the Pope told Michele he'd shed tears.
The Pontiff "offered comfort and hope, to better face life without my brother," during the 10-minute long phone call, Michele said.
"Of course, the pain remains, but it was a great emotion to hear his voice."
Although the Pope's house calls have been largely touted as a positive shift in the accessibility of the Catholic church, some worry that this move could come with some serious issues.
Vatican officials are concerned that people will fake calls-already, news stories that the Pope phoned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have circulated, which the Church quickly shot down as being untrue.
Others said they fear those who don't receive phone calls from the Pontiff will grow bitter.
"There's an innumerable number of people who have suffered violence or injustice who might write to the Pope for a word of comfort, and it's clear that he can't answer all of them," said Vatican historian Alberto Melloni. "They could think, 'See, I'm feeling awful and the Pope didn't even call.'"
The Vatican stated it wouldn't report every phone call the Pontiff chose to make.
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