Don Renzo Zocca.
«Pope Francis went up to heaven and became an angel the day after the resurrection of the Lord. They will certainly have already crossed. And this brings me great peace and serenity. In some way he was also a friend for me ». Don Renzo Zocca -Storico former parish priest of Saval (one of the poorest neighborhoods e Disadvantaged by Verona) and always in line to help people in difficulty- recalls the close link with the Pontiff between joy and emotion, who disappeared this morning at the age of 88. The news of the Pope’s death shook the whole world and also took Don Renzo on the counterattack: «It was not an easy morning. We all knew the seriousness of the Pope’s condition, but I never imagined that it would happen so soon. Now he is in heaven and we must rely on faith ».
The eighty -two -year -old Veronese priest – the “Ancora Onlus Foundation” Foundation “who deals with the prevention and care of the discomfort of all ages – is also known for giving the pontiff a car, specifically a Renault 4.” With that car I traveled 300,000 kilometers, turning throughout the Saval district. There Renault accompanied me in my life mission dedicated to the needy. Then I stopped using it and in the spring of 2013 I came to the idea of giving it to the Pope. I managed to get in touch with him through a letter. And then he called me, accepting the gift. We had 35 minutes on the phone, an incredible emotion, “says Don Renzo. And from there directly the journey to Rome, in September of the same year, to bring the gift to the Vatican: «For me it could not be better. While I was waiting for him out of Santa Marta I almost trembled. I wondered if I should have kissed my hand or kneel. And all this seemed little to me. Instead he arrived and embraced me, as if I were an old friend ». Then even a journey by car … Contromano through the Vatican streets: «Some people who had come with me from Verona had not been able to enter Santa Marta and were waiting for us elsewhere. Then he asked me to accompany him in the car to be able to meet these faithful. And I, on his advice, I took the wrong road, in the wrong direction. His guards chased us, wondering who they were sti “two madmen”. It was another incredible moment, “he remembers laughing the Veronese priest.
Renault 4, since 2013, is inside the carriage pavilion inside the Vatican Museums. Over the years the pontiff has used it several times. And on the car there are also two stickers depicting the coat of arms of Hellas Verona, the team of which Don Zocca is a large fan and of which he was a former chaplain forty years ago. Also it Sport, in particular football, linked him to the vicar of Christ: «With Francesco we also shared the passion for football. He was very passionate. He cheered for the Argentines of San Lorenzo, but also informed the events of Italian football. When Verona went up to Serie to several years ago, he made me bring the team to the Vatican. That too was an extraordinary experience ».
Don Zocca recalls many anecdotes but also brings more serious reflections, especially on the many teachings of the pontiff: «He was first of all a Christian. Then he was a man, a humble man. We thought the same about many things. On the importance of helping the last, poor, disabled. In general, on the need to be close to young people, but also to the elderly. He was very attentive to children’s problems. He loved listening to them during the hearings and on several occasions he made them sit on his car. I remember the emotion of many families for these simple gestures. And then above all we were united by the fact of wanting to keep too many money away from religious functions. One of his last decrees, signed in recent days, aims to untie the sacraments to the economic availability. We must learn to completely detach ourselves from money and to rely on the providence of God, that there is and will always be there ».
Finally, the thread of the memories of the priest is re -tanned towards another nice episode, which explains well, however, the simplicity of the late Pope. “I can say that I have received 10 euros from Pope Francis. Also on the occasion of the delivery of the Renault 4 we had also delivered a T -shirt to the Pope, made by the boys who were in our communities. This t-shirt also served to finance some works of charity. We wanted to give it to him, however he wanted to participate in the fundraising at all costs. And he handed me 10 euros. I still keep them jealously in the safe ».
