A Few Minutes with Pope Francis & Father Richard Kunst

This is an unusual and rare photograph of the signatures of 28 cardinals in the conclave electing Jorge Bergoglio.  

The new Pope Francis stands at the altar in the Sistine Chapel with all the cardinals, and those who signed this photograph are  clearly present.

 Pope John Paul II Names Jorge Borgoglio Cardinal in 2001 Consistory

Pope Francis is a very popular Holy Father, but he was somewhat unknown as a cardinal in many respects, and his autograph for that reason is very rare. Yet I have this autographed photo of him.

The reason we talk about him with John Paul II is because it is an autographed photo of Cardinal Bergoglio as he is being elevated by John Paul II. So it’s a photo of the two of them together, signed by Cardinal Bergoglio.

Pope Francis is a very popular Holy Father, but he was somewhat unknown as a cardinal in many respects, and his autograph for that reason is very rare. Yet I have this autographed photo of him.

The reason we talk about him with John Paul II is because it is an autographed photo of Cardinal Bergoglio as he is being elevated by John Paul II. So it’s a photo of the two of them together, signed by Cardinal Bergoglio.

Again, it’s very rare—the fact is that we know how simply he lived as a cardinal in regards to spending money. He never would sign autographs for people through the mail. You could only get an autograph in person. And so that makes it very hard to get any autograph of Pope Francis in any form but especially when he was a cardinal.

I’m always impressed by the brotherhood of the priesthood. You can also see that in this photograph as well as the recognition that Pope John Paul II was canonized by Pope Francis. They were really brothers in this life and especially in their priesthood. Sharing the priesthood: you can see this in this photograph.

Another thing that is interesting is the humility of Pope Francis, because his signature on the top line just simply says, Bergoglio. The bottom line says, Bishop of Buenos Aires, in German, because it was a German who actually got this item in person.

This photograph was taken during the conclave of the consistory that elevated Bergoglio to the cardinalate. It was the largest consistory elevation of cardinals in the history of the church. Historically speaking, in more than one way, it was choosing the future pope. It’s also interesting that Pope Francis is the first pope, obviously, that was made a cardinal by John Paul II—the last three popes were elevated by Pope Paul VI.

I love the fact that he puts Bishop of Buenos Aires below his name. He takes such pride in his role as bishop. And he’s assumed the great role of being the Bishop of Rome now as one of John Paul II’s successors.

It’s a very nice item to have in the Collection with the association of the two of them together.  —Father Richard Kunst

Pope Francis: Holy Card from Christmas 2013

Although Father Kunst does not mention this item in his Minutes with Pope Francis, this holy card appears in the video and gives us a window into the heart of our Holy Father.

The message Pope Francis chose for this Christmas holy card is from the Gospel of Saint John: Chapter 1, verse 9:

The true light, which enlightens all men, (was coming into the world.)

Pope Franics’ coat of arms adorns the top of the card, and In Nativitate Domini: The Nativity of Our Lord 2013 is at the bottom.