The Argentine pontiff initially planned to deliver most of his messages in English, but plans have changed. Though Pope Francis has been practicing his English through the summer, he is more at ease speaking in his native language, Ein News quoted spokesman Father Federico Lombardi as saying.
“The hardest [language] for me has always been English. Above all, the pronunciation, because I don’t have an ear for it,” Pope Francis would later tell a biographer. After three months of studying in Ireland, he never caught on to English.
As a modest cleric, he spent his life in Argentina with Spanish-speaking parishioners. He could speak Italian, some German and some French. “When he became archbishop of Buenos Aires, apart from annual visits to Rome, I’m only aware of three trips he ever made,” said biographer Austen Ivereigh. “He was one of the least-traveled archbishops in the world.”
“What has always caused the most problems for me has been English, especially the phonetics.” Using the Italian word stonatissimo to describe his difficulties. It translates as “very tone deaf.”
However, as documented in a recent poll of churchgoing Catholics, his “shortcoming” hasn’t seemed to hurt his receptivity in the United States.
Lest we forget: 50 years ago, the first pope to visit the United States, Paul VI, delivered his most important and historic speech—his fervent plea for peace at the United Nations—in French.
