Pope Francis' longtime friend shares memories of three decades of friendship

Jesuit priest Hernan Paredes knew Pope Franics when he was still 'Jorge.'

Father Hernan Paredes, a fellow Jesuit priest and longtime friend of Pope Francis still fondly calls Pope Francis, Jorge. The Pope, known for his modern ways, is fine with his friends revelations about him.   

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Father Hernan Paredes, a friend of the Holy Father Pope Francis, shared details about stories about his friend "Jorge" during their three decades of friendship. In a recent interview with the Jesuit priest for CNN, Paredes opened up about the wonderful memories he shares with our wonderful Pope.

To the Catholic world, Pope Francis is the epitome of holiness. But for Father Paredes, his friendship dates back as far as three decades ago, when the Pope was known by his given name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Paredes started as a seminarian under Bergoglio in the middle of the 1980's. Little did he know that the head of the Jesuit seminary in Buenos Aires would eventualy become the leader of the Catholic Church.

Back in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was the chef. He cooked for 100 seminarians and even washed clothes for all of them.

"Every Sunday, we had 'asadito' -- a lot of meat and Pope Francis was the chef. It was something simple; but, still it was a lot of work for one person cooking for others," Paredes fondly recalls.

He also revealed that Pope Francis faced difficulties during his English class.

Pope Francis, as expected, was fine with the details shared by his friend.

Francis will be spending time in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, as he shares a message of hope and faith to the poor and the Catholics of the countries. The nation and the world also expects to hear his views on the recent legalization of the same-sex marriages in the US.

Paredes is not sure what the Pope will say, but he believes that his holiness will speak in favor of the traditional family.

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