The time NPR's Sylvia Poggioli came face-to-face with Pope Francis

In an intimate moment during a 2015 papal trip, NPR reporter Sylvia Poggioli struck up an unexpected conversation with Pope Francis about their shared Italian heritage and anti-fascism roots. Her first encounter with John Paul II in 1983 was less successful; he responded cryptically in Latin to her impromptu question. With Francis, however, she found a listener who engaged deeply, sharing a personal story of how his family's emigration plans were thwarted when their ship sank—bonding over their immigrant roots and shaping his advocacy for displaced peoples.