# Is this really true about Pope Francis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483 "2014-03-11T23:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/1 "2014-03-11T23:14:56Z")
I realize this news story, assuming it’s true, is being overshadowed by much bigger stories, but I heard earlier today that he thought his mike was off and dropped an Italian F-bomb! 😃 :eek: 🆒 If so, I like this guy more than ever. I’m not Catholic but I am Christian. It makes him, well, more human than ever! Remember when Joe Biden did the same thing? I pointed out at a meetup a few days later that had he done that just a couple months earlier, he would have had to deal with his mother. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/2 "2014-03-11T23:25:09Z")
My understanding is that he slightly mispronounced an Italian word which changed it from something appropriate to the slang equivalent of fuck. Like pronouncing can’t so it comes out cunt, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/3 "2014-03-11T23:26:59Z")
His mic was definitely on. The words for “case” and “cock” are close. He basically said something like, “and this is the [del]cock[/del], case.” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/4 "2014-03-12T01:14:00Z")
Yeah, it was a mispronunciation, apparently a pretty common one to non-native speakers. He meant to say “caso,” case or example, but said “cazzo,” which is cock or fuck, depending on use. ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/5 "2014-03-12T02:41:49Z")
Somehow, [_vada a bordo, **caso** _](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vada_a_bordo,_cazzo) doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/6 "2014-03-12T02:42:11Z")
He also immediately caught himself, did a brief pause, then corrected himself with the right word. ETA: Of course, there were stories in ALL the media about this. Example: [Washington Post story](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2014/03/03/pope-francis-drops-an-f-bomb/). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/7 "2014-03-12T02:48:20Z")
More ETA: And [this link](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/03/285271511/pope-francis-lets-a-vulgarity-slip-during-vatican-address) which furthermore (if you read the whole article) shows the actual transcript (translated into English) of his statement, and down at the end, shows it in the original Italian too. ETA: AND includes the video. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/8 "2014-03-12T02:59:32Z")
Anyone who’s a [bouncer](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/pope-bouncer-francis-buenos-aires_n_4378446.html) & a [thief](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-confesses-he-stole-priests-cross-casket-n45856) is bound to throw an f-bomb or two (even if it was a ‘speak-o’). I’m not Catholic, but I like these stories; show’s he’s human & cuts out the “why bother, I’m not pious like the Pope” excuse. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-really-true-about-pope-francis/683483/9 "2014-03-12T04:25:46Z")
“I love you fuckers!”