Pope Francis Renews His Passport, Because He's Just Like You And Me
Sara C Nelson— Huffington Post UK
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He might have scored the cover of Rolling Stone last month, but Pope Francis has reassured us all that his feet are very firmly on the ground – by eschewing Vatican travelling privileges and simply renewing his ordinary passport.
The self-styled Pope of the people also renewed his Argentine ID card and went through the usual processes of posing for photographs and signing applications.
"In coming days, he will receive his passport in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, where he has stated he is a resident," Randazzo added.
The 77-year-old automatically received a Vatican-issued passport with all the privileges accorded to a head of state, but the fact he wishes to retain his Argentina passport “makes us proud”, Randozzo told Radio Vaticana.
Pope Francis has followed a famously frugal lifestyle with oft-delivered messages of solidarity with the poor and encourages other church leaders to do the same.
And he wears an ordinary priest’s robe and rides a bus to work, having given up his chauffeur-driven limousine.
Passport pictures of celebrities & public figures
Edward Snowden(01 of09)
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In this image taken form Russia24 TV channel, Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena shows Snowden's a temporary document Russia while speaking to the media after visiting National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden at Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has received asylum in Russia for one year and left the transit zone of Moscow’ airport, his lawyer said Thursday. Kucherena said after meeting with the fugitive at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where he was stuck since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23, that he handed him the papers proving his status. Kucherena said that Snowden’s whereabouts will be kept secret for security reasons. (AP Photo/Russia24 via APTN) TV OUT (credit:AP)
Nelson Mandela(02 of09)
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A picture taken on June 12, 2013 shows the 1991 passport of Nelson Mandela. (credit:Getty)
Marilyn Monroe(03 of09)
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NEW YORK - MAY 17: Marilyn Monroe's 1954 United States Passport is displayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square on May 17, 2006 in New York City. Hunt Auctions inc. will auction off the personal Items of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe on May 19 and 20, 2006. Rings and other pieces celebrating the career of DiMaggio will be auctioned off as well as portraits, telegrams, phone messages and personal handwritten letters by his former wife, Marilyn Monroe. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Albert Einstein(04 of09)
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Photo of Albert Einstein's original passport presented during Albert Einstein's exhibition at the Bern museum, 12 July 2005. Albert Einstein is looming large over the Swiss capital, as the city where he hatched his groundbreaking theories marks their centenary with a major exhibition. AFP PHOTO JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT (Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Gerard Depardieu(05 of09)
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A close up of French actor Gerard Depardieu, who has threatened to quit his homeland to avoid higher taxes, showing off his new Russian passport on January 6, 2013 at Mordovia airport in Saransk where he has been offered residence in this central Russia region known for Stalin-era Gulag labour camps. The former Oscar nominee travelled to snow-covered Mordovia a day after he met with strongman President Vladimir Putin at his sumptuous Black Sea villa in the resort town of Sochi for friendly banter over a meal. AFP PHOTO / CAROLINE LARSON (Photo credit should read CAROLINE LARSON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
John F. Kennedy(06 of09)
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A passport belonging to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy is displayed at an auction preview at the Trump Tower November 16, 2005 in New York City. Part of the Robert White Collection, the items to be auctioned, which number into the thousands, cover a broad period of the late president's life. The auction will take place on December 13-17 at the 7th Regiment Armory in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Katharine Hepburn(07 of09)
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NEW YORK - JUNE 3: A 1960 passport belonging to the late Katharine Hepburn is displayed for auction as part of the exhibition of property from the estate of actress Katharine Hepburn, at Sotheby's June 3, 2004 in New York City. The passport has an estimated value of $1,500 to $ 2,000 dollars The public will be able to view the items at Sotheby's prior to the auction, which take's place June 10-11. Sotheby's will auction a total of 691 of her belongings. Hepburn died in June 2003 at the age of 96. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
Michael Hutchence(08 of09)
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NEW YORK, NY - JULY 25: Michael Hutchence's passport displayed at a press preview for the Gotta Have Rock and Roll online auction at the Gotta Have It! store on July 25, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Pope Francis (09 of09)
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Issued by Argentina's Interior Ministry the new passport of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, at the Argentine Consulate in Rome, Italy, Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. Argentina’s ambassador to the Holy See, Juan Pablo Cafiero said he and his deputy went to the Pope’s hotel in the Vatican gardens last Friday to take Francis’ photo and digital fingerprints because the Pope’s passport was due to expire and he wanted to renew it. (AP Photo/Argentina's Interior Ministry)
Pope Francis Quotes On The Poor
Stealing from the tables of the the poor(01 of21)
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Throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry! I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy. Read more (credit:AP)
'Money Has To Serve, Not To Rule!'(02 of21)
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Pope Francis has denounced the global financial system, blasting the "cult of money" that he says is tyrannizing the poor and turning humans into expendable consumer goods.Read more (credit:AP)
'Poor Church For The Poor'(03 of21)
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'Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor."Read more (credit:Getty Images)
Men And Women Sacrificed To the Idols Of Profit (04 of21)
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Man is not in charge today, money is in charge, money rules. God our Father did not give the task of caring for the earth to money, but to us, to men and women: we have this task! Instead, men and women are sacrificed to the idols of profit and consumption: it is the "culture of waste." On World Environment Day (credit:AP)
'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'(05 of21)
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"Today, and it breaks my heart to say it, finding a homeless person who has died of cold, is not news. Today, the news is scandals, that is news, but the many children who don't have food - that's not news. This is grave. We can't rest easy while things are this way."Read more (credit:AP)
Choose A Humble Car(06 of21)
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Pope Francis waves to faithful upon his arrival at the Pontiff's residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Sunday July 14, 2013, in a Ford Focus.The down-to-earth Pope called for greater austerity from religious figures last week, saying, “It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest-model car. You can’t do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world." The Ford Focus is a compact car with a starting sticker price of just about $16,000.Read more (credit:AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
'Slave Labor Goes Against God' (07 of21)
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"A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour." "Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit. That goes against God!" Read more (credit:AP)
(08 of21)
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"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(09 of21)
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"We cannot sleep peacefully while babies are dying of hunger and the elderly are without medical assistance." (credit:@pontifex)
(10 of21)
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"There are many people in need in today’s world. Am I self-absorbed in my own concerns or am I aware of those who need help?" (credit:@pontifex)
(11 of21)
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"True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help those in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(12 of21)
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"The “throw-away” culture produces many bitter fruits, from wasting food to isolating many elderly people." (credit:@pontifex)
(13 of21)
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"If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves." (credit:@pontifex)
(14 of21)
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"Let us ask the Lord to give us the gentleness to look upon the poor with understanding and love, devoid of human calculation and fear." (credit:@pontifex)
(15 of21)
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"Take care of God’s creation. But above all, take care of people in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(16 of21)
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"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(17 of21)
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"How marvellous it would be if, at the end of the day, each of us could say: today I have performed an act of charity towards others!" (credit:@pontifex)
No More 'Profit At Any Cost'(18 of21)
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"My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centred mindset bent on profit at any cost." (credit:@pontifex)
'Prayer, Humility, Charity'(19 of21)
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"Prayer, humility, and charity toward all are essential in the Christian life: they are the way to holiness." (credit:@pontifex)
'Moral And Material Poverty'(20 of21)
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"How many kinds of moral and material poverty we face today as a result of denying God and putting so many idols in his place!" (credit:@pontifex)
On Waste(21 of21)
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"Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry." (credit:@pontifex)