VATICAN CORNER

It would seem that Pope  Francis’ busy schedule would not allow him time to  compose all of the many speeches he must give both at  the Vatican and when on his foreign trips. Like any  modern head of state, there are probably people who  assist him in drafting his talks since he usually must  deliver several a day and when on trips, give frequent  speeches that last longer. In November 2013, the Italian  daily newspaper La Stampa claimed to have identified the  newly named “Coordinator of Papal Speech and Homily  Writing”, a Monsignor Paolo Luca Braida. The Vatican  never confirmed that story. However, it is thought that  Pope Francis may have much more to do with writing  his own speeches than did previous Popes, since they  seem more spontaneous, conversational, and unfiltered,  coming more from his heart than from an anonymous  speechwriter. Pope Francis’ daily homilies that draw worldwide interest are not delivered from written text. At the  morning mass celebrated in the chapel of the guest house where he lives, his homilies are spontaneously given and in  Italian, a language that he knows well but which isn’t his mother tongue. Pope Francis has decided not to allow live  audio or video of those homilies and no complete transcripts be distributed because he fears the loss of the familiar  atmosphere with the attendees, and the spontaneous talk would require his editing for the print. Therefore he has  Vatican Radio summarize and distribute in news stories and blogs his reflections on the daily readings to allow the  public to have access to the main messages. As a Jesuit-trained communicator Francis understands and obeys certain  rules of writing and persuasion. The rule of three is one very powerful and effective guideline. It simply states that, in  short term memory, we can recall words, themes, or ideas when they are grouped in threes. The greatest works of  literature are grouped in three, as are famous quotes, and famous speeches. A few examples are:  “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” – “Faster, Higher, Stronger“- “Friends, Romans,  Countrymen” -“Blood, sweat, and tears” – “Mind, body, spirit” – “Stop, Look, and Listen” – “Faith, Hope, and Charity”.  Here are a few of Francis’ use of the rule of three: “ if we want security, let us give security, if we want life, let us give  life, if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities” – “trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and  despair” – “the complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and  talents.” The rule of three is a fundamental building block of persuasion. Pope Francis, who appears to write many of  his speeches himself, understands that words and language can move people to action.

Source: ncronline.org, cruznow.com, forbes.com