Pope Francis speaks English for first time in public

October 18, 2013

Pope Francis spoke in English on October 18, for the first time in his pontificate, when he sent a video message to a conference on evangelization in the Philippines.

The Pope, whose knowledge of English is very limited, read from a prepared text as he delivered the video message. His speech was heavily accented but generally understandable.

 

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Further information:

• Pope sends video message in English to Philippines conference (Vatican Radio)
• Pope's video message (audio recording)
• Video Message to the First Philippine Conference on New Evangelization: May the Holy Spirit Bring Justice and Peace to Asia (VIS)