«If there’s a problem, I write a note to St. Joseph and put it under a statue that I have in my room. It is the statue of St. Joseph sleeping. » This is what the Pope said in an exchange with 140 Superiors General of masculine Religious Congregations on November 25, 2016, in the framework of the 88th General Assembly of the Union of Superiors General (USG) in Rome.
L’Osservatore Romano published the text of the dialogue in its Italian edition of February 10, 2017. The entire exchange, lasting three hours, will be published by La Civilta Cattolica tomorrow, February 11, in the 4000th edition of the Jesuit magazine.
To those who asked him what was the secret of his «serenity», the Pope replied jokingly: «I do not take tranquilizers!» He added: «The Italians give something: to live in peace we need a healthy indifference.»
«What I am experiencing is a completely new experience for me. In Buenos Aires, I was anxious, I admit. I felt more tense and worried. In short, I was not like now. »
Now in fact, he claims to have had «a very special experience of profound peace since I was elected. It does not abandon me. I live in peace. I cannot explain».
While speaking on his initiative to reform the Roman Curia, which has its problems, including corruption, he said, he keeps his peace.
Then, he says that «if there is a problem, I write a note to St. Joseph and put it under a statue that I have in my room. It is a statue of St. Joseph sleeping. And now he sleeps on a mattress of notes! That’s why I sleep well: it is the grace of God.”
The Pope also stressed that he often prays: «I love the breviary so much and never leave it. Mass every day. The rosary … When I pray, I always take the Bible. And my peace grows. I do not know if this is the secret … My peace is a gift of the Lord. «
