More than any Supreme Pontiff in the modern era (at least), Pope Francis is comfortable speaking off the cuff in public. That verbal spontaneity has earned the pope fans, "but going off-script has its pitfalls," BBC News says in its 60-second roundup of Franciscan "gaffes." If you follow the pope, you've probably heard about a few of these statements, and one or two of them should probably have remained inside Pope Francis' head ("strawberries on the cake"?). But seriously, who could hold it against a man for sticking up for his mother? —Peter Weber
The Week
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