Cardinal Bergoglio, February 28, 2013 Around the end of February 2013, some little brothers and sisters were called from different European fraternities to come together at Santi Quattro Coronati, our house in Rome. Thirty or so little brothers and sisters would thus be able to represent the Community and accompany the conclave with prayer, there …
Poland, December 2003 There we were, three little brothers begging for something to eat on the outskirts of a city in Poland, on the western side of that broad country; and none of us spoke Polish. We could hardly even pronounce the few words we knew to ask for something to eat. We had travelled …
Vienna, January 2002 January 1st, feast-day of Mary, Mother of God That morning, the streets were deserted; a sort of languor seemed to have descended upon the whole city. On the sidewalks and even right in the middle of the street, lay countless shards of broken bottles. All night long, there had been nothing but …
Argentina, 1992 In a slum in Laferrere on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. We had been there for a few months and for us, the little brothers, those were our first steps on Argentinian soil. Which little shack should we head for now? Which destitute family should we beg our daily bread from? On the …