Pope Francis left the Vatican on Saturday to take part in an interview with the religious program A Sua Immagine on Italy’s public television channel RAI, the channel announced the same day. RAI published photos and videos of the Pope’s visit to the Roman neighborhood of Saxa Rubra, where the studios are located, saying that the program recorded with him would be broadcast on June 4.
On the morning of May 27, following an episode of fever the previous day, during which he was unable to receive guests, the Pope resumed his audiences as normal. And in the afternoon, the 86-year-old Pontiff left Vatican territory for an interview with the A Sua Immagine program, for which he has often expressed his esteem. This was the first time a pope had visited the Rai studios, according to the channel.
Francis’ participation in the program had already been scheduled for March 29, but had to be cancelled at the last minute, the Pope having been rushed to hospital at Gemelli with pneumonia.
A Sua Immagine is a popular program with the Argentine Pontiff. On March 4, he received the team at the Vatican. At the time, he confided that he watched this Sunday lunchtime program before the Angelus he presides over in St. Peter’s Square: “Before appearing at the window, I like to watch it for a few minutes, and sometimes I mention some content that particularly struck me.”
The Argentine Pontiff, who gave up watching television some 30 years ago, makes an exception for this program.
A Sua Immagine was launched in October 1997, following from RAI’s religious program, which had been on air since 1954. Broadcast in two parts on RAI 1, Saturdays at 4.05 pm and Sundays at 10.30 am, it is hosted by journalist Lorena Bianchetti. On April 10, 2020, Pope Francis appeared live on the program by telephone, sharing his thoughts on the Covid-19 pandemic, the first wave of which brought Italy to a standstill.
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