Love naps? So does Pope Francis.
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But considering the man charged with leading the global Catholic Church wakes up at 4 a.m. every day — without an alarm, mind you — he's probably justified in taking a regular siesta.
That's just one of many personal facts Pope Francis offered to La Voz Del Pueblo, an Argentinian newspaper out of the city of Tres Arroyos in the Buenos Aires province. He also revealed during the long sit-down interview, conducted inside the Vatican, that he used to be scared of journalists. "I don't [go on the internet]," he said. "And coming in contact with a journalist used to give me anxiety."
So what does the Church's highest officer do to calm down? Francis is a noted fan of San Lorenzo, a soccer team based in Buenos Aires, but because he hasn't watched TV since 1990 due to a "promise" he made to the Virgin Mary, he relies on a member of the Swiss Guard to give him weekly updates on the team's progress. He also loves a good pizza pie, but misses being able to go out to a shop and order a slice. Delivery "isn't the same," Francis told the paper. "When I was a cardinal I loved walking on the street, taking the bus, taking the subway."
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Harboring a love of naps and pizza? Popes, they're just like us. Read the whole interview (in Spanish), in which Pope Francis also touches on more serious topics, at La Voz Del Pueblo.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
