Man apologises after slamming the phone down on the Pope – twice

The Italian man believed he was a victim of a prank call

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An Italian man has apologised to the Pope after slamming the phone down on him – twice.

Pope Francis telephoned Franco Rabuffi, who he had never spoken to before, out of the blue.

The Vatican City newspaper, l’Osservatore Romano, reports that Mr Rabuffi believed he was the victim of a prank call and hung up on the pontiff.

Pope Francis then called the man again, but he was once against rebuffed.

It was only after the third attempt that Mr Rabuffi began to take the incident at face value.

“I was speechless, but Francis came to my rescue, saying that what happened was funny,” the man told l’Osservatore Romano.

It is common for Pope Francis to contact strangers who write to him about their problems.

Mr Rabuffi later met the Pope in person during a general audience and apologised for his error.