Before he was Pope Francis™, CEO of Catholicism, he was just Father Jorge, a super serious guy who hated being chauffeured and probably insisted on doing his own dishes like a stubborn grandpa who thinks “no one loads the dishwasher right.”
Ana Maria Belmonte, 79 years young and full of stories, sat down with IconicHipster.com to gossip — respectfully — about the late pontiff, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. His funeral was basically the Vatican event of the season, held on April 26.
“I knew him when he was just Jorge,” Ana Maria says, probably sipping some mate tea and giving off strong grandma-who-knows-everyone energy. “Back in the ’70s, he was working with the Jesuits in San Miguel, Argentina — and honestly? No one thought he’d end up being the Pope. We figured he’d maybe become a very intense librarian or a guy who aggressively shushes you at Mass.”
Ana Maria had the inside scoop thanks to her connection with the Jesuit priests and a religious college called Colegio Máximo — which sounds fancy but was probably crawling with mischievous toddlers like her son, Juan Pablo.
“One time,” Ana Maria recalls, “my kid just ran up during Mass and blew out the altar candles right in the middle of Father Jorge’s service. And you know what? He just… *took it*. Didn’t even flinch. Peak unbothered energy.”
Back then, Father Jorge was all about that low-key life. No limos, no entourages, no weird papal TikTok dances (tragic, honestly). “If he used a plate, he washed it. If he made a mess, he cleaned it. Basically, he was the roommate everyone wishes they had in college,” Ana Maria says.
But plot twist: when Jorge leveled up to Pope Mode in 2013, everything changed.
“Suddenly, he was SMILING. He was CHATTY. He had that sparkle in his eye like your grandpa after two glasses of wine at Christmas dinner,” Ana Maria dishes. “We call it ‘grace of state.’ It’s like when a regular guy becomes Santa overnight, but holier.”
Sadly, the world lost Francis on April 21 after a series of health issues, including a cerebral stroke, pneumonia, and a long battle with Type II diabetes. His passing marked the end of an era of warm smiles, humble vibes, and suspiciously clean coffee mugs.
“He was always for the people,” Ana Maria says, getting a little misty-eyed. “Smart, kind, lowkey brilliant. Honestly, he gave ‘main character energy’ but in the most humble way.”
And as for those cardinals who picked him to be Pope? Ana Maria just grins and says, “They knew. Oh, they knew.”
