‘When are you going to jail?’: Pope Francis jokes with French journalist about upcoming marriage

While en route to Thailand, Pope Francis jokingly compared the sacred Catholic institution of marriage to prison, while speaking to a young journalist from the international media pool.

As the pontiff was flying to meet Thailand’s supreme Buddhist patriarch, prime minister and king before celebrating mass with tens of thousands of Thai Catholics, he engaged in informal conversations with various members of the papal press corps, as is his tradition.

“When are you going to jail?” Francis jokingly asked the young, unnamed French journalist, who confided that he was both nervous and confused about his upcoming marriage, TASS journalist Vera Shcherbakova reports. 

The pope spoke briefly with some of his aides before presenting the man with two boxes filled with rosary beads. “This is to deal with confusion,” the pope advised.

The pope regularly holds informal conversations with his press pool and welcomes each journalist personally, with gift exchanges and brief, one-on-one chats. The pope also grants blessings to pregnant journalists or those with special requests for family members and loved-ones. 

Francis is due to celebrate mass in Bangkok's National Stadium on Thursday evening, despite the fact the country of 65 million boasts a Catholic community of just 380,000. He departs for Japan on Saturday.

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