# Pope Francis Sneaks Out of Vatican At Night, In Disguise, To Meet With Homeless Romans **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401 "2013-12-03T20:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/21 "2013-12-04T21:49:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Man, who can remember the names of all the British monarchs anyhow? > > _Goddamnit._ > > Kevin Costner in _Dave_, maybe? Nope, that was Kevin Bacon. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/22 "2013-12-04T22:04:29Z")
_Once he was the Pope of Rome (now he eats humble pie) Iā€™m telling you he was the Pope of Rome (now he eats humble pie)_ Can we expect to see him next as a groundskeeper for A.S. Roma? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/23 "2013-12-04T23:30:17Z")
I wonder if heā€™s been reading Shoes of the Fisherman? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/24 "2013-12-05T01:06:28Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > I wonder if heā€™s been reading Shoes of the Fisherman? I never read the book but I saw the movie. Did the book have the scene where he switched from giving a man the prayer for the dying, to a Hebrew chant? I also liked how, when that fictional Pope was asked by what name he would be called he replied ā€œWe shall be called by our name, Kirilā€ So he kept his baptismal name but used the imperial ā€œweā€. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/25 "2013-12-05T01:45:01Z")
Boring! Itā€™d be way more interesting if he wore a batman costume. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/26 "2013-12-05T02:04:19Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > ā€¦ > All he is doing is a bit of what he claims his church compels him to do anyway, when he starts distributing the worldly goods of the church to the poor then we can talk. He, and by extension the Catholic Church, have a lot of making up to do before we in the Secular world start considering it a net humanitarian good. Exactly. A lot of good PR so far, but no real change. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/27 "2013-12-05T02:17:57Z")
Romanes eunt non domo. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/28 "2013-12-05T03:19:01Z")
I may have to add him to my Death Pool list. Heā€™s taking some big chances. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/29 "2013-12-05T03:42:20Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > I seriously love this guy. Heā€™s encouraging a major shift in focus in the Catholic Church, and a highly appropriate one, IMHO. I love his emphasis on love and charity. Agreed. Moving away from oppression of gays and destructive sexual attitudes (opposing condoms, etc) and moving towards humanitarianism and poverty. Its great. Iā€™m secular and its a great message. Did John Paul ever act like this? The only popes Iā€™ve known are this one, Benedict and John Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/30 "2013-12-05T14:06:34Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I suppose it is the smallest of well-intentioned beginnings, lets see how far he will take this. > > Currently heā€™s using the classic ruse of being slightly less of a dick than his multiple predecessors. > > Seriously though, just remember that what he is doing is slipping out of his MASSIVE PALACE to commune with normal people before slipping back into his MASSIVE PALACE. I suspect that at some point in the summer he will take a break at his choice of MASSIVE PALACES, just as Jesus intended. > > All he is doing is a bit of what he claims his church compels him to do anyway, when he starts distributing the worldly goods of the church to the poor then we can talk. He, and by extension the Catholic Church, have a lot of making up to do before we in the Secular world start considering it a net humanitarian good. > [@Merneith](#): > > Heā€™s staying in the suite at the Vatican guest house (the Domus Sanctae Marthae) that was assigned to him when he first came to town as a Cardinal for the Papal convention that elected him. Itā€™s a modern building, opened in 1996. Itā€™s no Motel 6, of course, but itā€™s not an antique gilded palace. > > I have a difficult relationship with the Catholic church but I find myself frequently impressed with this new Pope. Yep, his MASSIVE PALACE is basically a modestly furnished apartment. Iā€™m not Catholic, but I like the guy. Naturally Iā€™d like to see some real reforms, particularly to the role of women in the church and the churchā€™s attitude toward contraception. But an organization as big and old as the RCC changes direction very slowly, so Iā€™m going to give him some time. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/31 "2013-12-05T14:29:03Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Nope, that was Kevin Bacon. šŸ˜› Mmmmmā€¦bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/32 "2013-12-05T14:35:08Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Yep, his MASSIVE PALACE is basically a modestly furnished apartment. Just because he opts to live in a shed in the garden of his MASSIVE PALACE doesnā€™t mean he stops owning it though. It just means he now owns a shed\* and\* a MASSIVE PALACE he doesnā€™t use, very wasteful ! šŸ™‚ Donā€™t get me wrong, I like him. I think heā€™s a sweet old man and his heart seems to be in the best of places. But heā€™s still the CEO of an international corporation that owns oodles of money and stuff - he doesnā€™t become ā€œone of usā€ because heā€™s humble about it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/33 "2013-12-05T14:41:54Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Iā€™m not Catholic, but I like the guy. Naturally Iā€™d like to see some real reforms, particularly to the role of women in the church and the churchā€™s attitude toward contraception. But an organization as big and old as the RCC changes direction very slowly, so Iā€™m going to give him some time. Iā€™m going to hold off on really liking the guy until the actual reforms actually happen, but I admit that the shift in tone could be a first step toward some good changes. By the way, the notion that this Pope could get whacked is downright loopy. Heā€™s not hurting anyoneā€™s business or stopping anyone from discriminating against anyone. And from a public relations standpoint heā€™s the best thing to happen to the church in a long time, especially regarding Europe and the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/34 "2013-12-05T15:01:12Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > _Once he was the Pope of Rome (now he eats humble pie) > Iā€™m telling you he was the Pope of Rome (now he eats humble pie)_ > > Can we expect to see him next as a groundskeeper for A.S. Roma? šŸ˜ƒ Itā€™s Rome, so I assume heā€™s already got the pizza angle pretty well covered. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/35 "2013-12-05T15:19:21Z")
My favorite part was when he tried to take an apple and give it to a hungry homeless child. The Vatican guard almost cut his hand off. Fortunately, a flea-bitten street rat swooped in and saved the day. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/36 "2013-12-05T15:20:52Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Just because he opts to live in a shed in the garden of his MASSIVE PALACE doesnā€™t mean he stops owning it though. It just means he now owns a shed\* and\* a MASSIVE PALACE he doesnā€™t use, very wasteful ! šŸ™‚ Maybe he can invite some of the homeless to come and live in the MASSIVE PALACE. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/37 "2013-12-05T15:31:31Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Maybe he can invite some of the homeless to come and live in the MASSIVE PALACE. Holding my breath in 3, 2, 1ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/38 "2013-12-05T16:12:05Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Maybe he can invite some of the homeless to come and live in the MASSIVE PALACE. Within 3 months he will do this. And there will be some kind of outrage about who he did and did not let in. Please all and please none. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/39 "2013-12-05T16:17:09Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Just because he opts to live in a shed in the garden of his MASSIVE PALACE doesnā€™t mean he stops owning it though. It just means he now owns a shed\* and\* a MASSIVE PALACE he doesnā€™t use, very wasteful ! šŸ™‚ > > Donā€™t get me wrong, I like him. I think heā€™s a sweet old man and his heart seems to be in the best of places. But heā€™s still the CEO of an international corporation that owns oodles of money and stuff - he doesnā€™t become ā€œone of usā€ because heā€™s humble about it. Heā€™s not just humble about it, heā€™s called for a [return to the church giving itā€™s resources to help itā€™s constituents,](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-encourages-church-rich-in-praise-not-wealth/) and his actions have regularly supported his words. Although heā€™s the leader itā€™s not that simple the change the direction of such a large organization on a dime. Iā€™m not Catholic but heā€™s definitely a lot better than the last dude. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401/40 "2013-12-05T16:18:09Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Heā€™s not hurting anyoneā€™s business or stopping anyone from discriminating against anyone. Heā€™s been squinting really, really hard at the Vatican Bank, which is one of the most opaque financial institutions in the world. Even if the talk of a mafia hit are loopy (and they almost certainly are), I have a feeling heā€™s going to be hurting a lot of bottom lines by the time heā€™s through there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-sneaks-out-of-vatican-at-night-in-disguise-to-meet-with-homeless-romans/675401.md?page=3)