An Italian pastor has donated a used Renault 4 with 186,000 miles to
Pope Francis, in response to the exhortation he made to priests and
seminarians in July to live simply and humbly. Father Renzo Roca, 69, who is pastor of St. Lucy Parish in Pescantina,
wrote to the Holy Father offering to donate his car, according to news
reports out of the Vatican. The car was delivered to the Pontiff on September 7 at St. Martha’s
Residence, shortly before the beginning of the Vigil for Peace which the
Holy Father led in St. Peter’s Square that evening. “When I gave it to him, we got into the car, but I didn’t have to
explain anything to the Pope because he told me that he also used a
Renault 4 in Argentina and that it never left him stranded,” Father Roca
said. After receiving the car, the Pope rode together with Father Roca to meet
with the group of faithful that traveled with him to Rome. During the brief encounter, a young man gave the Pope a t-shirt and
Father Roca explained that “normally we sell the shirts for five Euros
to raise money for parish activities, but we gave it to him for free.” However, the Pope said he would pay for it. “He took out his wallet and gave us ten Euros and asked for change.
Luckily I had five Euros in my pocket. Incredible,” Father Roca said. He also joked that a Swiss guard standing nearby told him, “Now we are
going to be a little worried because we’ll have to watch what Pope
Francis does with that Renault 4.”
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...