South African Archbishop: What most struck and surprised him about Pope Francis

(Vatican Radio) Among the many people in the Church from around the world who have been commenting on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ election and giving their assessment of the past 12 months, was Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. He spoke to Susy Hodges about his first impressions of Pope Francis and described how the Pope’s spontaneity struck a particular chord with him.

Listen to the full interview with Archbishop Brislin:

Asked about his first impressions of the new Pope in March last year, Archbishop Brislin says he found Francis’ first words as Pope “very moving”, especially where he bent his head and asked people to pray for him, and says those words and gestures helped “to set the tone of his papacy” right from the start.

Archbishop Brislin says Pope Francis’ “spontaneity” struck a particular “chord” with him, together with the Pope’s focus on mercy, forgiveness and his emphasis on inclusivity. When asked what most surprised him about the Pope’s words and actions, he pointed out there have been so many surprises over the past year but said his first surprise was when he learnt that the newly-elected Pope went back to his lodgings to pay “his own hotel bill, standing in line to pay it.”

As for the future, Archbishop Brislin agrees with those who predict that “we’re in for quite a number of more surprises from Pope Francis.”