Pope Francis: Daily Roundup

News

• Former aide says Francis may close Vatican Bank, by John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter 04/04/13. Buenos Aires, Argentina. A former top aide to Pope Francis said yesterday that a little-known aspect of his record as the archbishop of Buenos Aires lends credence to speculation that sooner or later, he may shut down the Vatican Bank.
• @Pontifex exceeds 5 million followers It seems the “Pope of gestures” has therefore proven himself to be an efficient communicator using new media. (La Stampa)

Commentary

• Master of metaphor: Pope Francis can weave a vivid tale, by Carol Glatz. Catholic News Service. 04/04/13. Metaphors are used extensively in the Bible and they pop up just as often in Pope Francis' talks and teachings.
• Dippy coverage from Reuters on Pope Francis’ General Audience, by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf. 04/04/13. "It is hard to imagine how wrong newsies can be… and then you run into the abysmally twisted report from Reuters about what Pope Francis said today in his Wednesday audience about women."
• Through pope's embrace, 8-year-old Rhode Island boy touches the world, by Rick Snizeck. Catholic News Service. 04/04/13.
• Pope Francis and English as a Second (or Third) Language, by Edward Pentin. National Catholic Register 04/04/13. Possessed of less linguistic fluency than John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Holy Father is carrying out his papal public duties almost exclusively in Italian.
• Meet Alfred Xuereb, Pope Francis' Personal Secretary (Rome Reports) 04/04/13:

  The Pope's right hand man, is usually his personal secretary. Shortly after Pope Francis was elected, Alfred Xuereb, from the Republic of Malta, became his personal secretary. It's a provisional post, but in Italy, these provisional jobs usually have a long standing.

  The job isn't entirely new for Xuereb. He was actually the second private secretary to Benedict XVI, after Georg Ganswein.

• Aide: Francis aims for those on life's 'garbage heap'. John Allen Jr. (National Catholic Reporter interviews Federico Wals, former spokesperson and media coordinator for Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.