THE SELFIE POPE

POPE FRANCIS LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY OF APPROACHABILITY AND HUMAN CONNECTION

- STORY: CLAIRE FAHY, SARA RUBERG AND SOPAN DEB/NYT

Pope Francis was 76 years old when he became pope, an elder statesman in a religion struggling to modernise.

Many of the Catholics he counselled were much younger, but he tried to meet them where they were. Often, that meant smiling for a selfie in what became a symbol of his approachable papacy.

Social media posts and endearing stories from parishioners and fans over the years have accrued — a 21st birthday blessing, a toddler who snatched the pope’s headpiece, a mini-me in a cassock — and become part of his legacy.

At lively appearances and parades that were sometimes compared to the Olympics or a World Cup, people collected the photos. Even priests and papal missionaries were not immune to asking for a picture.

Sometimes, the encounters were quieter, such as that of one artist who was invited to the Vatican to present his work to the pope.

When asked what he made of the selfies, Francis said at a news conference: “I feel like a great-grandfather!”

But he added: “It’s another culture. I respect it.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Ash Jurberg, 51

Jurberg, a travel writer from Melbourne, crossed paths with Francis in 2014 after Jurberg made a spontaneous detour in his European travels to visit Albania.

Jurberg booked a trip to Tirana, Albania for Sept 20, 2014 — which ended up being the day before Francis would visit the country.

Jurberg was shocked by the crowds and what he called a “big, festive atmosphere”, comparing it to the Olympics and the World Cup.

“You could almost hear the buzz as he approached,” Jurberg said.

As Francis went by, Jurberg tried to catch him in a selfie on his early generation iPhone but just missed him. Although he didn’t get the photo exactly right, and even though Jurberg is Jewish, he said the day stuck with him.