Speaker of the House Emerita Nancy Pelosi remembers Pope Francis

In an interview with All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly, Pelosi recounted a visit in which he laughed at her.

Pelosi was waiting for him in his office and when he opened the door, “tears just flowed down my eyes … I was just overwhelmed by seeing him.”

She was overcome with emotion, but met by his kindness.

Pelosi praised Francis as “humble, courageous and confident.”

“He would always say, ‘Pray for me.’ And I’d be like, ‘Well wait a minute, your Holiness, you’re supposed to be praying for the rest of us.'”

Today, Pelosi said, “I’m praying to him …. He’s a saintly person. I’m praying to him.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Interview highlights

This story was adapted for the web by Karen Zamora.