13 March 2013. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, becomes Pope Francis. From that day on, the face of the Catholic Church has changed. But who is this Bergoglio become Francis able to make those who had “prophesied” completely different names cry for joy and or for anger? Who is the Francis who, according to some, is forgetting the “founding” and indispensable principle of the “true” Catholic Church, to the point of being defined as a Communist? Don Antonio Mazzi, astounded and fascinated by this Franciscan-Jesuit who truly loves the poor, has collected in this sort of dictionary – from A for abortion, to divorce, massacre of Christians, pedophilia, tragedy of the migrants, on to the end of the alphabet – the words the Pope has pronounced during his Pontificate and has commented on them in his straight-forward and provocative manner. They are important words that, when put one next to the other, delineate the view of the world of this Pope, who has decided to come down from his pedestal and from the gigantic open “window” between heaven and earth, and be essentially the shepherd, the father of his flock, using a simple but extremely effective weapon: the language of the Bible. It is also the language of don Mazzi, who has always been involved in the fight against drug addiction and the recovery of the socially excluded, the outcasts, in a perfect harmony of voices. All subjects addressed with the disarming sincerity that unites the Pope of Mercy to the street priest.The authorDon Antonio Mazzi (Verona 1929) was ordained in Ferrara as priest in the Congregation of the Poor Servants of Divine Providence. He immediately began in-depth studies of pedagogy and psychology related to the developmental years and disabilities, taking specialized courses in Italy and abroad. He has received four honorary degrees in pedagogy. From 1955 to 1984, in collaboration with public bodies and universities, he was the director of various initiatives for assistance and training for young peoplewith problems. In 1989 he was assigned the Molino Torrette Farm in the Lambro Park in Milan. It became the headquarters of the Exodus Project. He still lives there in order to participate directly in the Foundation activities. He is an accredited journalist and the author of numerous books: Le beatitudini del marciapiede (Monti, 2011), Il mondo e l’infradito, Come aiutare un figlio dopo averlo rovinato (both Edizioni San Paolo, 2011), Dio, mio amante (Cittadella Editrice, 2010), Educatori senza frontiere, diari di esperienze erranti (Centro Studi Erickson, 2013), Non mollare. Consigli per affrontare la vita (Mondadori, 2014). Cairo published his books, È severamente proibito fare figli and Lettere a Cristo Bambino (2014).
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