It happened on January 2, 2021, during the morning meeting with the direction of the newspaper: “But you are really good, you did a good job”
“Ready, it’s me, I’m Francesco”. It is 11 and a few minutes of January 2, 2021 Dozens of copies of today’s newspaper are scattered on the meeting room table, as fireworks in a sky that will remain rare, if not unique. On the front page, indeed on the whole first page, there is the photo of the Pope, and his words: it is the result of an exclusive interview with Bergoglio. The director of the Gazzetta dello Sport, Stefano Barigelli, the deputy director Pier Bergonzi – material author of the interview – the central editorial staff Gianluca Gasparini, the head of the football editorial staff, Vito Schembari, and I, who at that moment I deal with Motorsport, are sitting around the main table.
It seems that the Pope …
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Bergonzi sitting out there, “it seems he could call …”. He received a signal from Don Marco Pozza, chaplain of the Padua prison, but above all personal friend of the Pope with whom he wrote numerous books and with whom he shares the love for sport. It is Don Pozza, marathon runner and all -round sports, who has woven relationships to concretize the interview of Barigelli and Bergonzi then released in the newspaper of January 2. “He could call” remains suspended in the air while discussing the newspaper of the day with the interview, the anecdotes of Bergonzi and Barigelli who collected the Pope’s reflections, the satisfaction for an exclusive interview that happens – if you are good but also lucky – once in life. The topics of the championship are being evaluated, when the deputy director’s cell phone rings. Call without number. Bergonzi replies and with a kind of sixth sense puts in an hands -free: “Ready?”. “Ready, it’s me, I’m Francesco”. “Holiness…”. Let’s get silent. Bergoglio: “It is me, I called to thank, you did a big thing, this morning seeing the newspaper I said to me ‘Oh I am good for these guys’. I wanted to thank you why you tell the joy of sport, the emotion, tell beautiful things and you have to continue like this. So strength, go on, and I tell you thanks”.
The director’s response
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Bergonzi put the mobile phone at the center of the table, the director smiles moved, I have tears in my eyes, Schembari is the most ready of all (you must be ready for everything in a certain sense, to manage football in a big newspaper like La Gazzetta). He took his phone to record, but the emotion has betrayed him too, he impresses himself and the start of the call is lost. But the recording starts in one way or another. In the meantime, after thanking for a long time with a deep and disarming simplicity, he is the director Barigelli who collects the Pope’s words: “Holiness, it is truly we who we have to thank her, for the words and messages he gave through our newspaper. Thanks to her, holiness”. In all two or three minutes. When it is over, the director has the smile of the good days, he looks at me and says, “Fanì, have you seen what happens in the Gazzetta?”. Schembari has the recording in his historical way, Bergonzi smiles and does not speak, he always full of words and anecdotes. There is no need for words.
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