Portrait of Pope Francis: His life and his message

POPE FRANCIS CARED ABOUT PEOPLE. THE POSITION HE TOOK ON THE ISSUE OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS PROVES THIS. HIS FIRST FORMAL VISIT AS POPE WAS TO THE ISLAND OF LAMPEDUSA TO MEET ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM NORTH AFRICA

- Karan Thapar

I wish I had met Pope Francis. I wouldn't say that of other famous people but of the Pope it's true. He had a warm, genial, happy face. He smiled a lot and each time his eyes would light up. His laughter was heartfelt and genuine, his affection for children sincere. He liked being with people. He saw himself as one of them.

Much of this was obvious from the pictures I saw during his lifetime. It's what I discovered after his death that's really endeared him. Today I want to share with you the picture of Pope Francis that I've been able to research.

In the style of St Francis of Assisi, whose name he took as his own papal name, the Pope lived very modestly. He shunned the grand papal home in the Vatican and chose instead a small two-room apartment in a guest house. He wore battered brown shoes. He would frequently invite his guards to breakfast and often dine in the Vatican workers' canteen.