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Pope Francis maintained a close relationship with radio throughout his life, consistently using the medium to speak directly to ordinary people. His preference for bypassing intermediaries reflects a grassroots, pastoral approach more aligned with a community pastor than a traditional religious leader.
This communication style was evident even before he became pope. As Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he used radio to extend beyond interviews with Vatican Radio or major broadcasters, encompassing family rituals and outreach to small communities.
Author Roberto Alborghetti recounts that in the 1940s, Bergoglio’s father would gather the family at midnight to listen to Argentina’s national anthem on Radio Nacional Viedma, part of the country’s public radio network. On Sundays, the family would also listen to opera on the radio.
If 666 is the devil’s number, then 99.9 belongs to God
Pope Francis
Communicating life and reality
During Argentina’s military dictatorship, Father Bergoglio gave two Uruguayan fugitives hiding at his institute a battery-powered radio. He believed it would help them feel less isolated and stay connected to the outside world.
In March 2014, Pope Francis gave his first interview to an Argentine media outlet since his election. He chose FM Bajo Flores, a community radio station in Buenos Aires. In the interview, he described community radio as “a warm and selfless way to communicate life and reality.”
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he also helped raise funds to establish a rural radio station in one of Argentina’s most remote provinces. Radio Parroquial FM Virgen del Carmen has broadcast on 99.9 MHz since 2014, serving 60 communities across 500,000 hectares near Campo Gallo in Santiago del Estero, one of the country’s poorest areas.
The Pope inaugurated the station with a live phone call, speaking with two priests he had personally ordained. During the conversation, he joked, “If 666 is the devil’s number, then 99.9 belongs to God.”
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