A word of warning to those who write personal notes to Pope Francis: he might just call you back.
Francis has charmed the masses with his informal style, simplicity and sense of humour – and a handful of strangers have received papal phone calls out of the blue after writing to him or suffering a tragedy.
Francis has a fondness for making calls the old-fashioned way, using land lines, and often surprising recipients by announcing: "It's the Pope."
After his election in March, Francis reportedly called his newspaper stand in Buenos Aires to cancel his daily delivery and, among others, has since called an Italian man whose brother was killed.
Italian daily 'Corriere de la Sera' offered some tips in case the Pope called: ask the soccer-mad Francis about the recent friendly between Italy and Argentina; always ask how Benedict XVI is doing, Francis frequently refers fondly to his 86-year-old retired predecessor; but avoid the Vatican scandal.