How a punishing two years shaped Pope Francis

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🗓️ 26 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Long before he was elected to run the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis was essentially exiled from his Argentinian Jesuit order. Francis often referred to this two-year period, which happened when he was in his 50s, as a "dark night" and a "crisis" in his life.

For our weekly Reporter's Notebook series, we talk with NPR religion editor Daniel Burke about what he learned by digging into this little known period of Francis' life that shaped him and his papacy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The man remembered today at a funeral in St. Peter Square, Pope Francis, was once very different.
0:05.2	There was a period of time decades ago when he was viewed as arrogant, aloof, as someone who caused so
0:10.8	much discord that he was essentially exiled from the Argentinian Jesuit order he had once led.
0:16.3	Francis often referred to this two-year window, which happened when he was in his 50s, as a dark night
0:21.7	and a crisis in his life. Consider this. Pope Francis's two years on the periphery impacted him
0:27.7	deeply and very likely changed the course of the church. For today's reporter's notebook,
0:32.8	we talk with NPR religion editor Daniel Burke about what he learned by digging into this little-known period
0:38.3	of Francis's life that shaped him and his papacy.
0:44.2	From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.
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