Enlarge image
Pope Francis in front of the "Discoteca al Pantheon"
Photo: Javier Martinez Brocal / Rome Reports / AP
The residents of Via della Minerva in Rome would not have expected this visit: Pope Francis paid a visit to the music store “La Discoteca al Pantheon” located there in the center of the Italian capital - and caused a brief stir.
The Holy Father went from the Vatican to the shop near the famous Pantheon on Tuesday evening to bless it, the press office of the Holy See said, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.
The owners are long-time friends of Francis
The owners are, according to the report, friends of Francis from the days before his pontificate when he came to Rome.
He promised several times to visit the shopkeepers again.
According to Ansa, the 85-year-old head of the Catholic Church stayed about a quarter of an hour in the newly renovated music shop and received a recording of classical music as a gift.
A Vatican journalist for the TV news agency Rome Reports recorded a video of the Argentine leaving the store and getting into his car.
As the news site "Vatican News" reports, a small crowd has already gathered in front of the store.
Francis values Bach and Mozart
Francis is considered a classical music connoisseur.
According to the Guardian, the Pope has a particular preference for Johann Sebastian Bach's “St. Matthew Passion” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's “Great Mass in C minor”.
fek / dpa
