Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This hour of programming on seven ten doubor. He's sponsored
by Toyota City and Mamaranac and Nissan City of port Chester,
proud members of the Integrity Automotive Group. Now former Westchester
County Executive Rob Astorina on sevent ten.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Woar, oh wow, what a beautiful and historic day today was.
Glad you're with me on the Rob estor Reno show
here on seven ten WR. It is warm in Rome today,
which is where I am coming from. Actually I'm not
(00:42):
in Rome, I'm not in Italy. I'm in Vatican City.
That's exactly where I am. If you've been here to
Saint Peter's, which of course you know earlier today we
had the funeral for Pope Francis. I am on the
Via de la Conciliazzione. That's the that goes from the
bridges and it's that big kind of pedestrian walkway that
(01:05):
goes right into the Vatican where the obelisk is. And
so I'm here thanks to EWTN. I want to thank
them for providing us our studios here so I could
actually stay on the air on a such a historic
day and do my show as normal. From I'm going
to say Rome, but you know what I mean, from
(01:26):
the Vatican and talk to you about today. A little
while later, my Senior Hillary Franco will be joining us.
He is a former pastor at Saint Augustine in Austining.
But he's written a book about six popes that he
was friends with, including Pope Francis. He was at the
(01:46):
Permanent Mission of the Holy Seat to the United Nations.
He's a diplomat. He's ninety two years old. You when
you hear him, you will think that this guy is forty.
He's never lost a step. I mean, it's a and
I've known him forever. So I'm looking forward to speaking
with Monsignor Franco in a little while. So uh, I mean,
(02:06):
like where do I start? Well, let me go backwards. Actually,
because I on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday, we had a
vacation planned and we left, so my wife, my daughter
and I got on a plane at Kennedy and flew
through Brussels to Madrid, and then from Madrid we stayed
(02:30):
there about a day day and a half. I walked
my feet off because like my wife, you know, they
were tired from the flight, so they just wanted to
hang out at the hotel and kind of you know,
get their body regularly to the time zone six hours ahead. Me.
I'm just the opposite. I freaking walk my feet off.
So I did. I'm like, no, I got to push
(02:52):
through this because I'm tired now, but you know, I
don't want to go to sleep till later. Otherwise if
I take a nap, you're done. Your whole body clock
is off. So I walked all over Madrid, I mean,
I didn't stop, and finally, you know, was able to
get back. Madrid is a beautiful city, by the way,
if you've never been, it's a very big city, but
(03:14):
it's a beautiful city. And so eventually we went from Madrid.
Two days later we went down to the beaches in Kadis,
and it's right along the beach of what's the Atlantic Ocean,
but southern Spain. And we were there for a couple
of days, enjoyed ourselves whether it was pretty good, not hot, hot,
(03:37):
but nice. And then we went up to Seville where
my daughter is studying. Well, hold on a second. If
you could see me right now, you would see that
I have air quotes studying. My daughter has been studying
this semester in Seville, she goes to Quinnipiac. She's going
for occupational therapy, so there. I guess part of the
program is you could study abroad for a semester, which
(03:59):
she's doing. So let's see two of her classes Spanish
art and Spanish wine. So she knows all about Spanish
wine because of course she's tasting it all. But she
has the life, I mean, right now, she's got the
one a life. She's going every weekend. Her classes are
Tuesday and Thursday, so Thursday night or Friday, she and
(04:21):
her friends they jet off on like Ryanair, cheap airfare.
They know how to pack a little backpack and they
go off like right now. She's in Munich, right now. Yeah,
she sends me you always want this from your daughter.
She sends me a video of her at some you know,
beer hall and in Munich with like this massive stein
(04:43):
of beer. Okay, but anyway, she had. She's having a
great time. We were there for Samana Santa Santa Semana,
which is the Holy Week, and it is just incredible.
I mean here in New York and in America, obviously
you religion's on the decline, but we go to church
or we celebrate the big ones, right, you know, Easter, Christmas,
(05:06):
Christmas Eve, people get together whatever they for Holy Week
from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, or the Day of
Resurrection as they call it. It is you have never
seen anything like it. You should google right now Semana
Santa for Spain, and they do it, I think in
every parish in the country, but in the big cities
(05:28):
it is massive. So in Seville they and I posted
this on my Instagram and on Facebook last week. If
you go to it at rob Astorino, it's unbelievable. They
have these massive parades, processions and they're they're on. You
can't even imagine the amount of people. They all get
(05:50):
dressed up and they take it really seriously. But they
carry these monstrous tons and tons in wait, they carried
these statues and floats. It's unbelievable. You got to actually
see you go to my social media and look it up.
It's just it's totally incredible. So anyway, that brings us
(06:13):
we're done with Seville, which is a beautiful city, unbelievable, beautiful.
On We were there for Easter on Monday morning this
past Monday. It was our last morning, and we were
gonna drive back from Seville to Madrid, stay the night,
and then fly back home on Tuesday. So we are,
you know, we wake up, I'm having a coffee. It
(06:34):
was like ten o'clock in the morning, and all of
a sudden I see it boom, a bulletin from the
Holy See to journalists that there's gonna be an announcement
in ten minutes. Okay, it's interesting. I wonder where that is.
And then ten minutes later there's the bulletin that Pope
Francis had died, and I'm like, oh, my God. Of
(06:55):
course I'm thinking about myself, which is horrible, and I'm like,
now what I'm gonna go? Where? I'm going? Directly from
Madrid to Rome. So as it I get the call
from Newsmax, you're heading over there. So fortunately I didn't
have to fly all the way home and all the
way back. But anyway, so the next morning, my wife
and my daughter they go their way to home and
(07:16):
I go here. So I have been here in Rome
and at the Vatican for all week. We broadcast this morning,
of course live on Newsmax. We broadcast the funeral. I
was part of that coverage, and it's been just an
enormously influential, amazing day. If you saw any of the
coverage or if you watched it, just totally incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I talk about like the smells and belles of the
Catholic Church, which you really can't beat. It's like the
church because it's been around for millennia and millennia, they
understand what to do and nobody does. I mean, we
think our inaugurations are you know, full of circumstance. The
(08:02):
funeral mass of a pope is beautiful, it's unbelievable. So
hopefully you had a chance to watch it this morning.
But I when I was here about a month ago
here in Rome, I was sent out with someone else
by Newsmax to kind of scout. Now at the time,
the pope was in Jameli hospital, and I knew. I
(08:22):
was told by some people I trust that know the
Vatican because they're part of the Vatican. They said, he
may come home, but he's not going to live long.
You know, he's not going to have another two years
or a year. It's just a matter of time. And
so when he came out of the hospital, you know,
(08:43):
people thought that that was good he had turned the corner,
but he was in really bad health and has been
since he since he's been here. And it's pretty amazing
when you think about it, that this Pope at eighty
eight was able to basically get the strength to get
out of that hospital. There was no way, no way
(09:04):
that the Pope or the Vatican wanted the Pope to
die on a hospital bed. That just doesn't happen. Every
Pope has died in the Vatican, where it should be.
So they brought him home, and you know, his schedule
was very restrictive. You know, obviously he met with JD. Vance.
What was like the last last person public event that
(09:25):
he had other than Easter. So think about this, right,
I mean, I don't know if there's a better way
for a pope to go. His last public appearance was
Easter Sunday, and he had the strength to get into
the popemobile. And this is an interesting story. I don't
know if you heard it, but so the Pope's personal nurse,
(09:45):
he would he was asking him on Sunday, on Easter Sunday,
he says, do you think I have the strength to
go out and give a blessing and to go in
the popemobile and the nurse said, yes, please, Holy Father
do it. They both kind of knew that this was
probably going to be the last event he ever did,
(10:08):
because they knew how bad it was. And so the
Pope on Sunday, on Easter Sunday was able to get
out and give his blessing and do the popemobile thing
one more time, and then that was it. On Sunday
on Easter he had a meal and then when he
went to bed that was it. He was struggling and
(10:29):
obviously he passed away. So anyway, when we come back
in a little bit here on the rob Asta Reno
Show on seven to ten wor, I'm going to have
Monsignor Hillary Franco. He is Bronx born. He was the
former pastor at Saint Augustine Church in Austining in Westchester County.
A diplomat, he wrote a book Six Popes because he
(10:51):
has literally been friends with and served six popes very closely,
and he knew Pope France's very very well. So I
want to kind of get you a little behind the scenes.
And this morning, so we were perched atop of building
to the side. If you're looking at the Vatican we
were to the left, so we were looking down at
the at the Vatican from our vantage point with Newsmax,
(11:16):
and but we had the side where they come in
and out of the private entrance and exit to the
to the Vatican City, so I had a bird's eye
view of the motorcade for Trump and and then later
on after the funeral, and I posted this if you
want to go see it. I posted it on x
and Instagram and Facebook, et cetera. At rob Asturino of
(11:40):
the Popa bile coming out and going slowly down the
street for the last time as it took the coffin
of Francis Uh to Saint Mary Major where he is
going to be entombed. So anyway, it's been it's been
a heck of a week here so far. And I'll
talk to him on Senior Franco in just a bit,
so don't you go. The rob Astino continues to roll
(12:02):
along here on seven ten WR.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Seven ten wor for since the rob As do Reno show.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
All right, welcome back to the rob As do Reno
show here on seven ten wo R. We're in Vatican City,
believe it or not. And what is an afternoon in
New York and evening here in Rome, totally messing up
my dinner and my eating habits. But that's okay. I
will definitely get into a little more pasta than wine
(12:31):
before I leave. But before we go, I gotta tell
you about Toyota City, Toyota City and Memarnick. You know them.
I mean, it doesn't matter where we are in the world.
If you want a Toyota In fact, if you're in
Rome right now, you should look up Toyota cityeny dot com,
Toyota cityeny dot com. They've got a great, great lot
full of new or pre owned Toyotas whatever you want.
(12:55):
Head over to Toyota City, Toyota CITYNY dot com. In Mamarnick.
All right with me? Now? Is my good long term friend,
Monsignor Hillary Franco I said Franco.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I tried to do like the that's beautiful. Yeah, your
pronunciation is really great as huesual well, as you do know, Rob,
we know each other for a long long time. So
I feel that I'm I don't know, I'm at home
when I when I speak with you, you know, and
I I have to tell you that today, as you
(13:32):
do know, this was amazing, an historic day, and I
I wanted to go. I don't know I had in mind.
It's a long time ago to go to the Bahamas
to get some sun. But I got today, you did.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I got to tell you it got warm. It got
very warm, that Roman sun. People don't realize it is
very strong. And I have to tell you. I can
tell you, don't tell anybody else. But I was praying
that if the Holy Father were to die this year,
it was not going to be in July and August,
(14:09):
because April isn't so bad. So I wanted to and
Monsignor Franco was. He was at Saint Augustine in Austining
nineteen years. Nineteen years you were in with the United Nations.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
To the whole see yeah, and that's right. I want
to tell you how you know why I ended up
at the U n because at the end of my past,
through it that Saint Augustine's you know, those beautiful nineteen years,
and I had the privilege of knowing you rather well.
You know during that time. I have to tell you
(14:49):
that at the end, I figured, well, let me kind
of quote unquote retired. There is no retirement for a priest.
As you do know, you know, I don't know why
they said, by the way.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Let met you. The voice that you're hearing is that
of a ninety one year old two.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Done you two.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
This man has not lost a step, and you're gonna
hear that because the stories you're going to tell are wonderful,
which is why I wanted you on, because you knew
Pope Francis, you knew Pope Ben, you know six popes,
because you wrote a book about it that is.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Correct, and I do have to tell you that I'm
I tell you the truth. At the beginning, I did
not want to write anything because you know, I have
so many memories, you know, twenty six years in the Vatican.
But before that, you know, as you do know, I
worked and lived with an exceptional man. We had a
(15:49):
small audience on television with forty million people, ten thousand
letters a week. I had sixty one secretaries to respond
to those letters. So that was Bishop Fulton's so but
then all of a sudden I got to be called
in the plomacy, first in Washington and then in the Vatican.
(16:11):
Those twenty six years were really incredible because you know,
historically they really shaped the world at that time. And
I would hope and pray that we would continue to
be shaped the way we tried to do it. Then
you know something is changing and so well. But I
(16:31):
wanted to tell you something personal because I knew I
would beloved pape, you know, since two thousand and two,
and I have to tell you. Do I have the
time to tell you how?
Speaker 2 (16:45):
That's why you're on?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Okay, well, let me tell you. It was really incredible
because in the year two thousand and two, I got
this call from from a place called Argentina, you know,
and this wonderful gentleman, he spoke English so perfectly, and
I said, how could it be? I'm a human, senior, Frank,
Yes I am. And he said, well, I am the
(17:07):
Minister of Education of Argentina, and we have decided to
name a school after my teacher.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I said, that's wonderful. I didn't know why he would
call me New York, you know, And I and I
tried to make conversation and understanding why he would have
called me. Then he stopped me and he said, you
know when see you didn't ask me who my teacher was.
I said, you know she must have been Oh yes,
(17:37):
she said she was very strict but I loved her,
you know, my teacher was your mom.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Because they had stayed in the States, you know, until
he was seven or eight, and then the whole family
had moved to Argentina, right he made his career and
he was now so he invited me down there, you know,
just for the opening. And who was blessing? But this
man by the name of Horgenberg Olo, he was the
(18:03):
Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as you do know, frankly, if
you had told him, became a rather friendly relationship we
had all through those years, you know, but under thirteenth
of Bunch two thirteen. Yeah, now I have to call
(18:27):
him Holy Father. The same thing that happened to me,
you know, with my friend the John wall the s
and it was the same thing.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
It's incredible how your friends we were very good friends.
This is a young thirty eight year old bishop from Kroco,
auxiliary bishop of no one really that important. I am
already at the Council, the Second Manic Council, because it
was a peritus, you know, an expert you know for
the American bishops, especially Bishop she So we may became
(18:58):
very good friends, and all of a sudden I find
myself on the sixteenth of October nineteen seventy eight in
that square. Eh, they said, he comes bamum spot, But
we have a pope.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It's a pope.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
The pope is carol When they said Carolum, I figure
can't be because the only Italian that had the carolum
was Cardinal Kumfalmer and he was eighty five years old.
They can't be, I said, sure enough. He continued, Cardinal
Felici up there saying, Karolum. Woie t home. I said,
(19:35):
here I am. I have to call him holiness. Now.
We had done so many things together.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
So that's interesting. And I'm talking with mont Signior Franco,
who was I mean, you just heard, but he was
at Saint Augustine in Austining, Yes, the United Nations, at diplomat.
He's an author just and obviously, as you'll hear, a
very interesting man who knows a lot of interesting people,
kind of like the old Dosequi's commercial the most interesting
man in the world. So I run into the cardinal
(20:04):
from Panama yesterday in the Vatican and I just I
didn't know him. I was just talking to him for
a moment, and I said, uh, you know, Guantosano stiene
how old are you? And he said eighty one. So
he said, I said, oh, okay, you can't vote, and
(20:25):
he goes, no, thank god. And I said to why
why do you say there? He said, because I can't
imagine he was appointed in twenty fifteen. Yes, and he said,
I can't imagine having to make that decision. But so
it's interesting, like Jorge Brogolia, one day he comes here
to go in the College of Cardinals and he never
(20:46):
returns home. That's it. Life changed, you know what. Really,
probably other than maybe the President of the United States,
the pope maybe is more well, you are the most
famous man in the world's.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Hen't think you're where John the twenty third, you know,
he was a patriot of Venice. So actually this is
really interesting. They had asked him to kind of trying
to make the measurements for his place of rest when
the Lord would call him, and he was there, you know,
(21:18):
just a few days before. They were you know, kind
of they were measuring him and so on a supportant
place where to put it. And then all of a
sudden he said, you know, okay, we'll see you in
a little while. That little while never happened. The same
thing with Paul the six was the same thing, you know,
because he said, well here I am. He was Archbishop
(21:38):
of Milan when he was created cardinal, and then he becomes,
you know, a pope and he never went back to
brushay right. And this is really interesting because you know,
Pope Francis, you know, was blamed by some Argentinians saying,
you know, how come he never came too. But I
think his parish, just like John the twenty thirty used
(22:00):
to say, was the world and the true sense of
the world right, and he wanted to take care of
the world.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
So tell me the guy that you knew, Pope Francis,
Jorge Burgolio, what was he like?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
He was a man before you know, this is really
he was a human being. He had a tremendous sense
of humor. You know, he actually smiled at all times.
I tried to tell people, I said, you know, you
don't lose anything by smiling, you know, saying hello, And
(22:37):
that's what he did all his life with everybody. I felt,
as I said that several times during these days, you know,
in the several television interviews that I had, I felt
that he was like opening his arms, like fleshy columns
of Bernie, ready to embrace the world. And that's what
he did. You know, he wanted to embrace each one
(22:58):
of those human beings that he would be there. He
was a man. But let me tell you a few
kind of almost personal well not almost personal thinks. I
feel him, knowing him as I said, you know, he
becomes poke and so I am in Rome. You know,
(23:21):
in July of that year, I wanted to retire from
the Great Parish of Saint Augustine Sarsening. I said, well,
probably now I can do whatever I want, probably, you know,
write and do something that I always wanted to do
and never did. I stopped in Rome. But that was
my mistake because I never go to the boss because
(23:45):
he had just been elected, say let me go and
say hello. So he opens the door of this apartment
today in Santa Marta, not not the people wanted, but
whatever which he was, that is correct, That is correct.
Never the Apostolic palace, well, he was only for official things,
(24:06):
you know. To make a long story short. At the
opens he said, ah me e Cornall, because we always
spoke to that. You know, this is something else. And
I had to tell you, he said. To me, he said,
why people always kind of are, you know, they are
not happy or something. They're surprised that I speak Italian.
He said to me, well, what is my title? I said,
(24:29):
your Holiness, you're you are a pope simply simply because
you're the Bishop of Rome. He said, And in Rome,
what do you speak? I said, your holiess a little
bit of Ruinesque in the rest of Italian. So the
Bishop of Rome has to speak why not? So just
(24:50):
to tell you, you know that, he said. They said
to me. He said, well, as I try to go
in and sit down, and they said, you know, they
tell me that you want to retire. I said, yeah,
it's about time I want to do it. Then he
says to me, he said, you don't want both of
(25:11):
us will to retire. I said, your Holiness, it's on
the thirteenth of March. You were elected poper. You can't retire.
I said, if I can retire, you can retire. I
ended up that place called the United Nations, you know,
and I was very happy, you know, to do whatever,
(25:32):
almost put whatever his program was in front of those
one hundred and ninety three delegations from all of it.
By the way, I do have to tell you something
that during the election process for Horg call you. I said,
you know, I'll never forget the vice principal of the
(25:54):
School of Synegostins. You know about.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
You know, my daughter's team, c Yo basketball team, right
coach by Rob Astrino. We beat Sant Augustine all the
time in Sant Augustine. I can't say cafeteria right in
the cafeteria next to her.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yes. So anyhow, just to make along sty it was
incredible that she said, you know, monsignor, you have you know,
what do you think is going to be the next mope?
In those days, no one would ever mention Bergolia And
I said, I said to her, I said, hey, don't
forget the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And later on, you know in the local paper, you know,
she was quote advice. Yet that I had to mention
that Bolia. And that's why I'm very close. You know,
I was very close and I still am because I believe,
as you do know we uh have because of our fate.
(26:55):
We believe that he is right now in the most
important the place, because he will be able to intercede
for this world he tried his best. He tried to
bring peace into this world in so many different ways
through his kind of the diplomats, you know, trying his
(27:18):
best in so many different ways. Did they succeed in
Probabim party? Did you know? I always feel that we
and I called them sparks of peace that he had
created through his kind of team. Let me put it
that way, especially the Cardinal Secretary of State. You know,
(27:40):
he did so much to bring light, put in together,
let's say, China putting together naturally, the Ukraine and Russia.
Why not you know, embracing the world that was, and
it's only by embracing world run that we will have
(28:04):
peace in the world.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Rob Asterna here on seven to ten WR the rob
Aster Reno Show. We are here at Vatican City. We're
actually we're not in Rome right now. We are in
the Vatican, a separate state. And mon Senior Hillary Franco
with me. You know, the press and the media and
really most most people, certainly Americans, right, we're so used
(28:26):
to the right versus left, Democrat, Republican, you know all that,
and so they view what the Pope did through the
prism of politics. Now I will say this I do
think that this pope got more political than the previous
popes in that he went after Trump a little bit.
(28:50):
You know, he said he wasn't a good Christian when
in sixteen with regard to immigration, when Trump was talking
about the wall in the recent campaign, he basically said
it was the abomination both candidates. Both candidates, you know,
Kamala Harris because of abortion, Donald Trump because of immigration.
Do you think that that is something that the next
(29:10):
pope should continue or kind of st.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
First of all, let me explain to you, you know,
when and not to you, I mean to our those
who are listening to us, you know, and I'm sure
that there are many trying to understand when we turn
about politics. Well, politics is part of humanity, am I right?
So Pope, especially Prancis, but all the other popes that
(29:40):
I dealt with, they always felt that politics was such
an important way of telling the world, not only using it.
I said, religion, no, no, no, but it's humanity that
is so essential. And I, as you do know, I worked,
so I would say I was very connected to Jump
(30:05):
all the second and he was the man we're talking
about politics, Well, this guy actually more than anybody else
He really shaped the world, you know, because and I
know the inside the story because I was part of it.
Tell us, yes, I well, let's say it's a long story,
but it's a beautiful story.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
That wall that we.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Started working on that kind of an idea immediately he
was elected, remember on the sixteenth of October nineteen seventy eight.
Well he will go to Poland immediately in seventy nine.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Which was Communist unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
See, we people don't realize that those countries were very
difficult to approach, to go into, you know, but we
had a way of getting into a kind of that
kind of political world. Let me put it that way,
(31:06):
and we did. And that's how he decided immediately, not
even a year after that he had been elected, you know,
to go to his country. He knew that eventually at
that time. I remember, so the Downerships, honors and forth.
Naturally it really would make history. Was the was the
(31:29):
was the president of uh uh the Soviet Union UH.
And I remember you know very well, you know how
we dealt with Prime Minister Kuseigin, who was really a
gentle man and the true it was a prince. I
used to call him, and sure enough, that was the beginning.
We're talking about politics. I mean, we changed, we changed history.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
But it was so is Reagan, Thatcher and John Paul
the second was correct, that is correct. But well, but
I think that could that be considered a different type
of politics. You know, you had the Soviet Union holding hostage,
really right, millions of people in the iron curtains for
(32:13):
seventy years, for seventy years, just horrible. But it isn't
that different than the Pope, Pope Francis in this instance
getting directly involved almost in a presidential campaign and saying, look,
you know border security, you don't have the right to
have a sovereign sovereignty. There's a wall around the Vatican,
(32:36):
you know, that's.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Correct, and that was a wall in Rome. Yeah, my years.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
So you're do not right.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
But the wall in the Vatican was simply because in
eighteen seventy, you know, like the show called the Italian
Army had taken over. You know, that's why.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
But there's but the point is there is security here.
You can't walk in off the street right into the
sure but they have their own security, of their own sovereignty.
But isn't that what my point is? The United States
is a sovereign nation. Obviously, Donald Trump is saying, look,
we're not against immigration, but we cannot have unfettered immigration.
(33:15):
And did Francis go too far and saying no, no, actually.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
You know all he always used the Gospel. This is
really what we rand. We are here to proclaim the
Gospel in so many different ways. Naturally we apply it,
you know, to the history of today. You know, it's
interesting that you mentioned that about the what we call
the extra territorial you know, of Vatican City state that
(33:42):
helped us at the end and during the the occupation,
the German occupation of Rome, they the Germans could not
go into that there is a status uh let's say,
at the beginning of Saint Peter's Square, so no one
(34:05):
could go in there. So we saved so many how
many people? How many Jewish people? A lot of Jewish
people were saved by Pious the Twelve. Unfortunately, uh, you know,
sometimes we don't realize that, you know how really really
was a very difficult time at the time. And it's
(34:28):
it's interesting, may I mention this, but Pious the Twelve
was considered and was given the title of the Savior
of Rome because at one point if the German contingent
that was occupying Rome would not have left Rome. The
(34:49):
Americans they didn't care about bobbing Monte Casino, which was
the cradle of civilization. I'm sure that they would have
done the same thing. But Rome and the American whereas
Pious the Twelve summoned, this is history, summoned the head
of the Germans occupying Rome. He was a good Catholic
(35:15):
tradition once. I didn't see it. Probably you didn't see
it either, But apparently the Pope in those days, remember
the Pope at that time was not the pope that
you see today. It was really very like God old wife.
I mean put it that way. He actually knelt in
(35:36):
front of the general, and the general was so touched that,
even though the tutor had given order to him until
the last man to remain in Rome, when he went
out of that audience with the Pope, he asked all
his men to leave Rome. And Rome was saved. Wow.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Robe, Yeah, that is rob Astrino in seven to ten
w R here on the rob Astorino Show. Mon Signior
Hillary Franco. So I got two questions for you, and
I'm going to let you go because you've had a
very long day you were part of you know, con
you were at the funeral in the hot sun.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
And spotted the Pontifical family. I had to be up there. Yeah,
so I got some son instead of going to the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Right. So the book story I want you to tell. Yes,
you wrote a book six Popes. Yes, great book, and
thank you for giving it to me. I had read
it a year ago whenever it came out, and it
was fascinating. Just be you know, you telling your stories
about the popes. You one day had one of your
(36:46):
books and you weren't ready to give it to the
Holy Father.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Yes, Oh, I gotta tell you this is a story.
You know that that was actually I remember the day
naturally was the fourth thus comber uh twenty twenty one. Yeah, uh.
And I have the book in my hands in one
of our meetings, you know, and uh and he says
(37:11):
to me, get close. You know what's that? I said,
I have this book where I would like to give
it to Cardinal Puddoline and said he said to me,
he said, what's wrong with me? I said, I said, okay, holiness,
you know, and I gave it to him. And you know,
just like I figured, yeah, it would be one of
(37:33):
those many things that he would put in the box.
Unbelievable that that was really incredible. Then I went back
to my office there at the Permanent Office of the
of the Observer of the Holy See to do that nations,
and we have, as you do know, a diplomatic pouch
in other words, because there were diplomats. So I all
(37:54):
of a sudden, you know, they, you know, the office there,
gives me this letter. There was no center, no nothing whatsoever,
you know. And that's when Signor Hillary Franklin. Naturally no
stamp because it was in the thing I opened it.
That was a letter actually written by the Pope, and
(38:18):
I naturally that his hand, not only that he signed
it from Francesco, addressed Caro Fradello, my dear brother, you know,
like a small f you know, and then he went
on to say that he had enjoyed the book and
so on. So the date is the eighth of the
(38:42):
day's eighth of September. So I gave it on the
fourth of September. He read it, he had read it, and.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Here I thought he was busy. Lab he was busy.
So I want to I want to publicly thank you.
So we I've been here. I got here Tuesday morning,
and I watched every day as it got busier and busier.
And on Wednesday they opened Saint Peter's for the Pope
lying in state, and I, you know, had wanted to
(39:13):
go in. The lines Wednesday and Thursday were five hours.
Two hundred and fifty thousand people went through over these
three days. Anyway, working for Newsmax and wl OR, I
had no time obviously to wait online. So I see
Monsignor Franco and I said, is there any way that
(39:35):
I could get in and pay my respects? Well, I
get a text from Monsignor Franco meet me tomorrow morning.
I'll come to the hotel at eleven o'clock. At about
twenty after eleven, I'm walking in. Was at the back
entrance to the episode. That's the private that's where President
(39:56):
Trump walked in today, I think to go through. Yes,
so it was a very press So explain how that worked.
Don't you just made it happen? Well, I mean, I guess, yeah, you,
but I honestly I just wanted to say thank you.
(40:19):
Probably that was an amazing moment for me.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Thank you for being with me.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Well, no, but it's like it. There are moments in
life that you don't forget. That's going to be one
of them. And I'm glad it was with you, yes,
because I saw you know, the public waiting online, oh
for hours, and they don't even stop. Yeah, you get
there and you turn immediately, even during the night. Correct.
So I through you had a chance to get whatever
it was ten fifteen feet and sit in a chair
(40:47):
and pray looking at the Holy Father in his casket,
and it was just an amazing moment. I just wanted
to say thank you, thank you to you, probably with me,
thank you, so Monsigne. I wish you well. They can
get your book right, yes, naturally Amazon.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
What by the way, this is really Amazon with the
Beautiful Job was number one on the Amazon list of
the releases. But I have to tell you that last Monday,
I was surprised because we had worked on and I
had reviewed, you know, the Italian translation, aids Sunny Paulina.
It's a very important publisher, you know, in the world,
(41:25):
you know, and they actually came. They sent me the
first copies of the Italian translation of Six Popes. And
I do have to say this, you know that I
like in a way. I mean, I had six popes.
It's only part of it because in that book, as
you have seen, you have my friendship with Mada Treesa
(41:50):
and the other leaders of the world, you know, kind
of actually full Ton Jay Sheen and you know a
lot of things. But in the title of the entire translation,
it's all amato laquiez, which are the words of Paul
(42:10):
the sixth. Actually I have loved the church. Wow. But
then in the under title it is so beautiful. I
love it. Ragatzo the Bronx, a kid from the Bronx
at the service of six popes.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
That's amazing. My Signor Franco, thank you for being with us.
I love you and I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Thank you so much, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Rob Astrino Show continues from Vatican City in just a moment.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Seven War presents the rob Astorino Show.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
All right, rob Astrino here on seven ten wor. I'm
at the Vatican. That's right. I am in Vatican City,
been here all week in Rome covering the funeral of
the Pope, and I will be either staying here directly,
which means I'll have left New York on Palm Sunday,
(43:05):
which seems forever ago, and I may be here another
two weeks straight, which means I'll be gone a month.
That's crazy.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I don't know if I'm flying home tomorrow and coming
back or just gonna stay. I don't even know yet.
I don't even know what I want to do. But
I don't want to get all screwed up with the
plane rides. But anyway, how do they get to the
airport by the way Liro's point to point? Of course
I did. They're amazing.
Speaker 3 (43:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
My wife's flight was all screwed up coming back from Brussels,
so they had to fly through Brussels and their flight
was delayed five hours. Oh my god, there's nothing worse
but Liro. So they were like texting me, we see you.
The flight was delayed. We'll still be at JIFK when
they get there. And there they were. So as I've said,
I don't want to put my wife, or my children,
(43:55):
or my parents anybody in a smelly taxi or an
uber where you don't know who the hell's driving. I'm
going to put them in a sedan from Lero's point
to point and they'll get there safely, and that's what
they did, so thank you Liros. Liros point to point
one little story. So you heard Monsignor Francotella about how
(44:19):
you know, I was thanking him earlier about getting me
in the private escort into the Vatican yesterday to be
able to into the Basilica to see the Pope and
to you know, give my my blessing and my my prayers.
And it really was amazing. But I had gotten a
chance to talk to we were waiting outside in sort
(44:43):
of the courtyard area. I talked to the private security,
the actual driver of the popemobile, and what a nice guy.
And he was telling me that prior to Pope Francis,
whenever they would go away, whenever they would take a
popemobile to another country, the driver of the popemobile would
(45:03):
be Secret Service or whatever country, they would provide the
security and the driver. So even like an NYPD if
then when he came to New York whomever, but with Francis,
they started with his own private drivers and security. So
this guy knew Francis really well. He was driving him
all the time. And I said to him, so tell me,
(45:25):
you know, like when you're in the popemobile and you're
driving down the road and you know he's up there
going waving, waving, blah blah blah and waving waving. I
see you. No, do you guys talk at all? And
he said, yeah, you know we would. There would be
a little downtime or we would talk. Or on the way,
you know, after the main parade route or procession, we
would you know, veer off and yeah, we would talk.
(45:48):
And I'm like, so, like, did he ever ask you, like,
you know, can you pull over to McDonald's I'm starving?
And he got such a good laugh. He goes, no,
he goes, But you know what, that's the kind of
sense of humor the Pope actually had, which I thought
was pretty cool. I thought that was pretty cool that,
you know, you get a little I mean, how many
times you talk to the Pope's driver, for God's sakes.
(46:09):
And it was just by luck and thankfully because of
Monsignor Franco that I was able to actually get that
that moment and real quick. So President Trump today meeting
with Vladimir Zelenski here at the Vatican before the funeral,
just for private time for you know, a few minutes. Yes,
there's a lot of you know, a lot of high solos.
(46:33):
Isn't really the place a funeral where they're coming in
and out real quick to have meetings. But they did
get a chance to talk for a little bit. And
you don't know, you don't know what's going to come
out of that. Maybe something good and maybe something will
break with regard to the Ukraine Russia war. But I
did think it was very cool President Trump to come
over here Milania. Trump is Catholic, so I thought it
(46:55):
was great. And the minute the Pope died, the Pope
the President said, I'm going. Despite the fact that the
Pope took some big shots at Donald Trump both in
the sixteen campaign and the last campaign. But Donald Trump
proved to be I don't want to say, the bigger man,
but he did what he was supposed to do. All right,
I gotta get out of here. So next week I'm
(47:15):
not sure where I'm gonna be. May maybe I'll be
in New York, doubtful. Maybe I'll be right back here
at in Rome and I'll do the show from here again.
But either way, every Saturday four o'clock, count on me,
and I'm counting on you. Thanks for being with me again. Folks,
I'll talk to you next Saturday, the rob Astarino Show
here on seven ten wr.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
Wana saida This Hour of programming on seven ten WOR.
He's sponsored by Toyota City and Mamaranac and Nissan City
of port Chester, proud members of the Integrity Automotive Group,
This hour of programming on seven ten doubor. He's sponsored
by Toyota City and Mamaranac and Nissan City of port Chester,
proud members of the Integrity Automotive Group. Now former Westchester
County Executive Rob Astorina on sevent ten.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Woar, oh wow, what a beautiful and historic day today was.
Glad you're with me on the Rob estor Reno show
here on seven ten WR. It is warm in Rome today,
which is where I am coming from. Actually I'm not
(00:42):
in Rome, I'm not in Italy. I'm in Vatican City.
That's exactly where I am. If you've been here to
Saint Peter's, which of course you know earlier today we
had the funeral for Pope Francis. I am on the
Via de la Conciliazzione. That's the that goes from the
bridges and it's that big kind of pedestrian walkway that
(01:05):
goes right into the Vatican where the obelisk is. And
so I'm here thanks to EWTN. I want to thank
them for providing us our studios here so I could
actually stay on the air on a such a historic
day and do my show as normal. From I'm going
to say Rome, but you know what I mean, from
(01:26):
the Vatican and talk to you about today. A little
while later, my Senior Hillary Franco will be joining us.
He is a former pastor at Saint Augustine in Austining.
But he's written a book about six popes that he
was friends with, including Pope Francis. He was at the
(01:46):
Permanent Mission of the Holy Seat to the United Nations.
He's a diplomat. He's ninety two years old. You when
you hear him, you will think that this guy is forty.
He's never lost a step. I mean, it's a and
I've known him forever. So I'm looking forward to speaking
with Monsignor Franco in a little while. So uh, I mean,
(02:06):
like where do I start? Well, let me go backwards. Actually,
because I on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday, we had a
vacation planned and we left, so my wife, my daughter
and I got on a plane at Kennedy and flew
through Brussels to Madrid, and then from Madrid we stayed
(02:30):
there about a day day and a half. I walked
my feet off because like my wife, you know, they
were tired from the flight, so they just wanted to
hang out at the hotel and kind of you know,
get their body regularly to the time zone six hours ahead. Me.
I'm just the opposite. I freaking walk my feet off.
So I did. I'm like, no, I got to push
(02:52):
through this because I'm tired now, but you know, I
don't want to go to sleep till later. Otherwise if
I take a nap, you're done. Your whole body clock
is off. So I walked all over Madrid, I mean,
I didn't stop, and finally, you know, was able to
get back. Madrid is a beautiful city, by the way,
if you've never been, it's a very big city, but
(03:14):
it's a beautiful city. And so eventually we went from Madrid.
Two days later we went down to the beaches in Kadis,
and it's right along the beach of what's the Atlantic Ocean,
but southern Spain. And we were there for a couple
of days, enjoyed ourselves whether it was pretty good, not hot, hot,
(03:37):
but nice. And then we went up to Seville where
my daughter is studying. Well, hold on a second. If
you could see me right now, you would see that
I have air quotes studying. My daughter has been studying
this semester in Seville, she goes to Quinnipiac. She's going
for occupational therapy, so there. I guess part of the
program is you could study abroad for a semester, which
(03:59):
she's doing. So let's see two of her classes Spanish
art and Spanish wine. So she knows all about Spanish
wine because of course she's tasting it all. But she
has the life, I mean, right now, she's got the
one a life. She's going every weekend. Her classes are
Tuesday and Thursday, so Thursday night or Friday, she and
(04:21):
her friends they jet off on like Ryanair, cheap airfare.
They know how to pack a little backpack and they
go off like right now. She's in Munich, right now. Yeah,
she sends me you always want this from your daughter.
She sends me a video of her at some you know,
beer hall and in Munich with like this massive stein
(04:43):
of beer. Okay, but anyway, she had. She's having a
great time. We were there for Samana Santa Santa Semana,
which is the Holy Week, and it is just incredible.
I mean here in New York and in America, obviously
you religion's on the decline, but we go to church
or we celebrate the big ones, right, you know, Easter, Christmas,
(05:06):
Christmas Eve, people get together whatever they for Holy Week
from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, or the Day of
Resurrection as they call it. It is you have never
seen anything like it. You should google right now Semana
Santa for Spain, and they do it, I think in
every parish in the country, but in the big cities
(05:28):
it is massive. So in Seville they and I posted
this on my Instagram and on Facebook last week. If
you go to it at rob Astorino, it's unbelievable. They
have these massive parades, processions and they're they're on. You
can't even imagine the amount of people. They all get
(05:50):
dressed up and they take it really seriously. But they
carry these monstrous tons and tons in wait, they carried
these statues and floats. It's unbelievable. You got to actually
see you go to my social media and look it up.
It's just it's totally incredible. So anyway, that brings us
(06:13):
we're done with Seville, which is a beautiful city, unbelievable, beautiful.
On We were there for Easter on Monday morning this
past Monday. It was our last morning, and we were
gonna drive back from Seville to Madrid, stay the night,
and then fly back home on Tuesday. So we are,
you know, we wake up, I'm having a coffee. It
(06:34):
was like ten o'clock in the morning, and all of
a sudden I see it boom, a bulletin from the
Holy See to journalists that there's gonna be an announcement
in ten minutes. Okay, it's interesting. I wonder where that is.
And then ten minutes later there's the bulletin that Pope
Francis had died, and I'm like, oh, my God. Of
(06:55):
course I'm thinking about myself, which is horrible, and I'm like,
now what I'm gonna go? Where? I'm going? Directly from
Madrid to Rome. So as it I get the call
from Newsmax, you're heading over there. So fortunately I didn't
have to fly all the way home and all the
way back. But anyway, so the next morning, my wife
and my daughter they go their way to home and
(07:16):
I go here. So I have been here in Rome
and at the Vatican for all week. We broadcast this morning,
of course live on Newsmax. We broadcast the funeral. I
was part of that coverage, and it's been just an
enormously influential, amazing day. If you saw any of the
coverage or if you watched it, just totally incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I talk about like the smells and belles of the
Catholic Church, which you really can't beat. It's like the
church because it's been around for millennia and millennia, they
understand what to do and nobody does. I mean, we
think our inaugurations are you know, full of circumstance. The
(08:02):
funeral mass of a pope is beautiful, it's unbelievable. So
hopefully you had a chance to watch it this morning.
But I when I was here about a month ago
here in Rome, I was sent out with someone else
by Newsmax to kind of scout. Now at the time,
the pope was in Jameli hospital, and I knew. I
(08:22):
was told by some people I trust that know the
Vatican because they're part of the Vatican. They said, he
may come home, but he's not going to live long.
You know, he's not going to have another two years
or a year. It's just a matter of time. And
so when he came out of the hospital, you know,
(08:43):
people thought that that was good he had turned the corner,
but he was in really bad health and has been
since he since he's been here. And it's pretty amazing
when you think about it, that this Pope at eighty
eight was able to basically get the strength to get
out of that hospital. There was no way, no way
(09:04):
that the Pope or the Vatican wanted the Pope to
die on a hospital bed. That just doesn't happen. Every
Pope has died in the Vatican, where it should be.
So they brought him home, and you know, his schedule
was very restrictive. You know, obviously he met with JD. Vance.
What was like the last last person public event that
(09:25):
he had other than Easter. So think about this, right,
I mean, I don't know if there's a better way
for a pope to go. His last public appearance was
Easter Sunday, and he had the strength to get into
the popemobile. And this is an interesting story. I don't
know if you heard it, but so the Pope's personal nurse,
(09:45):
he would he was asking him on Sunday, on Easter Sunday,
he says, do you think I have the strength to
go out and give a blessing and to go in
the popemobile and the nurse said, yes, please, Holy Father
do it. They both kind of knew that this was
probably going to be the last event he ever did,
(10:08):
because they knew how bad it was. And so the
Pope on Sunday, on Easter Sunday was able to get
out and give his blessing and do the popemobile thing
one more time, and then that was it. On Sunday
on Easter he had a meal and then when he
went to bed that was it. He was struggling and
(10:29):
obviously he passed away. So anyway, when we come back
in a little bit here on the rob Asta Reno
Show on seven to ten wor, I'm going to have
Monsignor Hillary Franco. He is Bronx born. He was the
former pastor at Saint Augustine Church in Austining in Westchester County.
A diplomat, he wrote a book Six Popes because he
(10:51):
has literally been friends with and served six popes very closely,
and he knew Pope France's very very well. So I
want to kind of get you a little behind the scenes.
And this morning, so we were perched atop of building
to the side. If you're looking at the Vatican we
were to the left, so we were looking down at
the at the Vatican from our vantage point with Newsmax,
(11:16):
and but we had the side where they come in
and out of the private entrance and exit to the
to the Vatican City, so I had a bird's eye
view of the motorcade for Trump and and then later
on after the funeral, and I posted this if you
want to go see it. I posted it on x
and Instagram and Facebook, et cetera. At rob Asturino of
(11:40):
the Popa bile coming out and going slowly down the
street for the last time as it took the coffin
of Francis Uh to Saint Mary Major where he is
going to be entombed. So anyway, it's been it's been
a heck of a week here so far. And I'll
talk to him on Senior Franco in just a bit,
so don't you go. The rob Astino continues to roll
(12:02):
along here on seven ten WR.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Seven ten wor for since the rob As do Reno show.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
All right, welcome back to the rob As do Reno
show here on seven ten wo R. We're in Vatican City,
believe it or not. And what is an afternoon in
New York and evening here in Rome, totally messing up
my dinner and my eating habits. But that's okay. I
will definitely get into a little more pasta than wine
(12:31):
before I leave. But before we go, I gotta tell
you about Toyota City, Toyota City and Memarnick. You know them.
I mean, it doesn't matter where we are in the world.
If you want a Toyota In fact, if you're in
Rome right now, you should look up Toyota cityeny dot com,
Toyota cityeny dot com. They've got a great, great lot
full of new or pre owned Toyotas whatever you want.
(12:55):
Head over to Toyota City, Toyota CITYNY dot com. In Mamarnick.
All right with me? Now? Is my good long term friend,
Monsignor Hillary Franco I said Franco.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I tried to do like the that's beautiful. Yeah, your
pronunciation is really great as huesual well, as you do know, Rob,
we know each other for a long long time. So
I feel that I'm I don't know, I'm at home
when I when I speak with you, you know, and
I I have to tell you that today, as you
(13:32):
do know, this was amazing, an historic day, and I
I wanted to go. I don't know I had in mind.
It's a long time ago to go to the Bahamas
to get some sun. But I got today, you did.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I got to tell you it got warm. It got
very warm, that Roman sun. People don't realize it is
very strong. And I have to tell you. I can
tell you, don't tell anybody else. But I was praying
that if the Holy Father were to die this year,
it was not going to be in July and August,
(14:09):
because April isn't so bad. So I wanted to and
Monsignor Franco was. He was at Saint Augustine in Austining
nineteen years. Nineteen years you were in with the United Nations.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
To the whole see yeah, and that's right. I want
to tell you how you know why I ended up
at the U n because at the end of my past,
through it that Saint Augustine's you know, those beautiful nineteen years,
and I had the privilege of knowing you rather well.
You know during that time. I have to tell you
(14:49):
that at the end, I figured, well, let me kind
of quote unquote retired. There is no retirement for a priest.
As you do know, you know, I don't know why
they said, by the way.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Let met you. The voice that you're hearing is that
of a ninety one year old two.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Done you two.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
This man has not lost a step, and you're gonna
hear that because the stories you're going to tell are wonderful,
which is why I wanted you on, because you knew
Pope Francis, you knew Pope Ben, you know six popes,
because you wrote a book about it that is.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Correct, and I do have to tell you that I'm
I tell you the truth. At the beginning, I did
not want to write anything because you know, I have
so many memories, you know, twenty six years in the Vatican.
But before that, you know, as you do know, I
worked and lived with an exceptional man. We had a
(15:49):
small audience on television with forty million people, ten thousand
letters a week. I had sixty one secretaries to respond
to those letters. So that was Bishop Fulton's so but
then all of a sudden I got to be called
in the plomacy, first in Washington and then in the Vatican.
(16:11):
Those twenty six years were really incredible because you know,
historically they really shaped the world at that time. And
I would hope and pray that we would continue to
be shaped the way we tried to do it. Then
you know something is changing and so well. But I
(16:31):
wanted to tell you something personal because I knew I
would beloved pape, you know, since two thousand and two,
and I have to tell you. Do I have the
time to tell you how?
Speaker 2 (16:45):
That's why you're on?
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Okay, well, let me tell you. It was really incredible
because in the year two thousand and two, I got
this call from from a place called Argentina, you know,
and this wonderful gentleman, he spoke English so perfectly, and
I said, how could it be? I'm a human, senior, Frank,
Yes I am. And he said, well, I am the
(17:07):
Minister of Education of Argentina, and we have decided to
name a school after my teacher.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I said, that's wonderful. I didn't know why he would
call me New York, you know, And I and I
tried to make conversation and understanding why he would have
called me. Then he stopped me and he said, you
know when see you didn't ask me who my teacher was.
I said, you know she must have been Oh yes,
(17:37):
she said she was very strict but I loved her,
you know, my teacher was your mom.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Because they had stayed in the States, you know, until
he was seven or eight, and then the whole family
had moved to Argentina, right he made his career and
he was now so he invited me down there, you know,
just for the opening. And who was blessing? But this
man by the name of Horgenberg Olo, he was the
(18:03):
Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as you do know, frankly, if
you had told him, became a rather friendly relationship we
had all through those years, you know, but under thirteenth
of Bunch two thirteen. Yeah, now I have to call
(18:27):
him Holy Father. The same thing that happened to me,
you know, with my friend the John wall the s
and it was the same thing.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
It's incredible how your friends we were very good friends.
This is a young thirty eight year old bishop from Kroco,
auxiliary bishop of no one really that important. I am
already at the Council, the Second Manic Council, because it
was a peritus, you know, an expert you know for
the American bishops, especially Bishop she So we may became
(18:58):
very good friends, and all of a sudden I find
myself on the sixteenth of October nineteen seventy eight in
that square. Eh, they said, he comes bamum spot, But
we have a pope.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It's a pope.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
The pope is carol When they said Carolum, I figure
can't be because the only Italian that had the carolum
was Cardinal Kumfalmer and he was eighty five years old.
They can't be, I said, sure enough. He continued, Cardinal
Felici up there saying, Karolum. Woie t home. I said,
(19:35):
here I am. I have to call him holiness. Now.
We had done so many things together.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
So that's interesting. And I'm talking with mont Signior Franco,
who was I mean, you just heard, but he was
at Saint Augustine in Austining, Yes, the United Nations, at diplomat.
He's an author just and obviously, as you'll hear, a
very interesting man who knows a lot of interesting people,
kind of like the old Dosequi's commercial the most interesting
man in the world. So I run into the cardinal
(20:04):
from Panama yesterday in the Vatican and I just I
didn't know him. I was just talking to him for
a moment, and I said, uh, you know, Guantosano stiene
how old are you? And he said eighty one. So
he said, I said, oh, okay, you can't vote, and
(20:25):
he goes, no, thank god. And I said to why
why do you say there? He said, because I can't
imagine he was appointed in twenty fifteen. Yes, and he said,
I can't imagine having to make that decision. But so
it's interesting, like Jorge Brogolia, one day he comes here
to go in the College of Cardinals and he never
(20:46):
returns home. That's it. Life changed, you know what. Really,
probably other than maybe the President of the United States,
the pope maybe is more well, you are the most
famous man in the world's.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Hen't think you're where John the twenty third, you know,
he was a patriot of Venice. So actually this is
really interesting. They had asked him to kind of trying
to make the measurements for his place of rest when
the Lord would call him, and he was there, you know,
(21:18):
just a few days before. They were you know, kind
of they were measuring him and so on a supportant
place where to put it. And then all of a
sudden he said, you know, okay, we'll see you in
a little while. That little while never happened. The same
thing with Paul the six was the same thing, you know,
because he said, well here I am. He was Archbishop
(21:38):
of Milan when he was created cardinal, and then he becomes,
you know, a pope and he never went back to
brushay right. And this is really interesting because you know,
Pope Francis, you know, was blamed by some Argentinians saying,
you know, how come he never came too. But I
think his parish, just like John the twenty thirty used
(22:00):
to say, was the world and the true sense of
the world right, and he wanted to take care of
the world.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
So tell me the guy that you knew, Pope Francis,
Jorge Burgolio, what was he like?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
He was a man before you know, this is really
he was a human being. He had a tremendous sense
of humor. You know, he actually smiled at all times.
I tried to tell people, I said, you know, you
don't lose anything by smiling, you know, saying hello, And
(22:37):
that's what he did all his life with everybody. I felt,
as I said that several times during these days, you know,
in the several television interviews that I had, I felt
that he was like opening his arms, like fleshy columns
of Bernie, ready to embrace the world. And that's what
he did. You know, he wanted to embrace each one
(22:58):
of those human beings that he would be there. He
was a man. But let me tell you a few
kind of almost personal well not almost personal thinks. I
feel him, knowing him as I said, you know, he
becomes poke and so I am in Rome. You know,
(23:21):
in July of that year, I wanted to retire from
the Great Parish of Saint Augustine Sarsening. I said, well,
probably now I can do whatever I want, probably, you know,
write and do something that I always wanted to do
and never did. I stopped in Rome. But that was
my mistake because I never go to the boss because
(23:45):
he had just been elected, say let me go and
say hello. So he opens the door of this apartment
today in Santa Marta, not not the people wanted, but
whatever which he was, that is correct, That is correct.
Never the Apostolic palace, well, he was only for official things,
(24:06):
you know. To make a long story short. At the
opens he said, ah me e Cornall, because we always
spoke to that. You know, this is something else. And
I had to tell you, he said. To me, he said,
why people always kind of are, you know, they are
not happy or something. They're surprised that I speak Italian.
He said to me, well, what is my title? I said,
(24:29):
your Holiness, you're you are a pope simply simply because
you're the Bishop of Rome. He said, And in Rome,
what do you speak? I said, your holiess a little
bit of Ruinesque in the rest of Italian. So the
Bishop of Rome has to speak why not? So just
(24:50):
to tell you, you know that, he said. They said
to me. He said, well, as I try to go
in and sit down, and they said, you know, they
tell me that you want to retire. I said, yeah,
it's about time I want to do it. Then he
says to me, he said, you don't want both of
(25:11):
us will to retire. I said, your Holiness, it's on
the thirteenth of March. You were elected poper. You can't retire.
I said, if I can retire, you can retire. I
ended up that place called the United Nations, you know,
and I was very happy, you know, to do whatever,
(25:32):
almost put whatever his program was in front of those
one hundred and ninety three delegations from all of it.
By the way, I do have to tell you something
that during the election process for Horg call you. I said,
you know, I'll never forget the vice principal of the
(25:54):
School of Synegostins. You know about.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
You know, my daughter's team, c Yo basketball team, right
coach by Rob Astrino. We beat Sant Augustine all the
time in Sant Augustine. I can't say cafeteria right in
the cafeteria next to her.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yes. So anyhow, just to make along sty it was
incredible that she said, you know, monsignor, you have you know,
what do you think is going to be the next mope?
In those days, no one would ever mention Bergolia And
I said, I said to her, I said, hey, don't
forget the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And later on, you know in the local paper, you know,
she was quote advice. Yet that I had to mention
that Bolia. And that's why I'm very close. You know,
I was very close and I still am because I believe,
as you do know we uh have because of our fate.
(26:55):
We believe that he is right now in the most
important the place, because he will be able to intercede
for this world he tried his best. He tried to
bring peace into this world in so many different ways
through his kind of the diplomats, you know, trying his
(27:18):
best in so many different ways. Did they succeed in
Probabim party? Did you know? I always feel that we
and I called them sparks of peace that he had
created through his kind of team. Let me put it
that way, especially the Cardinal Secretary of State. You know,
(27:40):
he did so much to bring light, put in together,
let's say, China putting together naturally, the Ukraine and Russia.
Why not you know, embracing the world that was, and
it's only by embracing world run that we will have
(28:04):
peace in the world.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Rob Asterna here on seven to ten WR the rob
Aster Reno Show. We are here at Vatican City. We're
actually we're not in Rome right now. We are in
the Vatican, a separate state. And mon Senior Hillary Franco
with me. You know, the press and the media and
really most most people, certainly Americans, right, we're so used
(28:26):
to the right versus left, Democrat, Republican, you know all that,
and so they view what the Pope did through the
prism of politics. Now I will say this I do
think that this pope got more political than the previous
popes in that he went after Trump a little bit.
(28:50):
You know, he said he wasn't a good Christian when
in sixteen with regard to immigration, when Trump was talking
about the wall in the recent campaign, he basically said
it was the abomination both candidates. Both candidates, you know,
Kamala Harris because of abortion, Donald Trump because of immigration.
Do you think that that is something that the next
(29:10):
pope should continue or kind of st.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
First of all, let me explain to you, you know,
when and not to you, I mean to our those
who are listening to us, you know, and I'm sure
that there are many trying to understand when we turn
about politics. Well, politics is part of humanity, am I right?
So Pope, especially Prancis, but all the other popes that
(29:40):
I dealt with, they always felt that politics was such
an important way of telling the world, not only using it.
I said, religion, no, no, no, but it's humanity that
is so essential. And I, as you do know, I worked,
so I would say I was very connected to Jump
(30:05):
all the second and he was the man we're talking
about politics, Well, this guy actually more than anybody else
He really shaped the world, you know, because and I
know the inside the story because I was part of it.
Tell us, yes, I well, let's say it's a long story,
but it's a beautiful story.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
That wall that we.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Started working on that kind of an idea immediately he
was elected, remember on the sixteenth of October nineteen seventy eight.
Well he will go to Poland immediately in seventy nine.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Which was Communist unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
See, we people don't realize that those countries were very
difficult to approach, to go into, you know, but we
had a way of getting into a kind of that
kind of political world. Let me put it that way,
(31:06):
and we did. And that's how he decided immediately, not
even a year after that he had been elected, you know,
to go to his country. He knew that eventually at
that time. I remember, so the Downerships, honors and forth.
Naturally it really would make history. Was the was the
(31:29):
was the president of uh uh the Soviet Union UH.
And I remember you know very well, you know how
we dealt with Prime Minister Kuseigin, who was really a
gentle man and the true it was a prince. I
used to call him, and sure enough, that was the beginning.
We're talking about politics. I mean, we changed, we changed history.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
But it was so is Reagan, Thatcher and John Paul
the second was correct, that is correct. But well, but
I think that could that be considered a different type
of politics. You know, you had the Soviet Union holding hostage,
really right, millions of people in the iron curtains for
(32:13):
seventy years, for seventy years, just horrible. But it isn't
that different than the Pope, Pope Francis in this instance
getting directly involved almost in a presidential campaign and saying, look,
you know border security, you don't have the right to
have a sovereign sovereignty. There's a wall around the Vatican,
(32:36):
you know, that's.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Correct, and that was a wall in Rome. Yeah, my years.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
So you're do not right.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
But the wall in the Vatican was simply because in
eighteen seventy, you know, like the show called the Italian
Army had taken over. You know, that's why.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
But there's but the point is there is security here.
You can't walk in off the street right into the
sure but they have their own security, of their own sovereignty.
But isn't that what my point is? The United States
is a sovereign nation. Obviously, Donald Trump is saying, look,
we're not against immigration, but we cannot have unfettered immigration.
(33:15):
And did Francis go too far and saying no, no, actually.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
You know all he always used the Gospel. This is
really what we rand. We are here to proclaim the
Gospel in so many different ways. Naturally we apply it,
you know, to the history of today. You know, it's
interesting that you mentioned that about the what we call
the extra territorial you know, of Vatican City state that
(33:42):
helped us at the end and during the the occupation,
the German occupation of Rome, they the Germans could not
go into that there is a status uh let's say,
at the beginning of Saint Peter's Square, so no one
(34:05):
could go in there. So we saved so many how
many people? How many Jewish people? A lot of Jewish
people were saved by Pious the Twelve. Unfortunately, uh, you know,
sometimes we don't realize that, you know how really really
was a very difficult time at the time. And it's
(34:28):
it's interesting, may I mention this, but Pious the Twelve
was considered and was given the title of the Savior
of Rome because at one point if the German contingent
that was occupying Rome would not have left Rome. The
(34:49):
Americans they didn't care about bobbing Monte Casino, which was
the cradle of civilization. I'm sure that they would have
done the same thing. But Rome and the American whereas
Pious the Twelve summoned, this is history, summoned the head
of the Germans occupying Rome. He was a good Catholic
(35:15):
tradition once. I didn't see it. Probably you didn't see
it either, But apparently the Pope in those days, remember
the Pope at that time was not the pope that
you see today. It was really very like God old wife.
I mean put it that way. He actually knelt in
(35:36):
front of the general, and the general was so touched that,
even though the tutor had given order to him until
the last man to remain in Rome, when he went
out of that audience with the Pope, he asked all
his men to leave Rome. And Rome was saved. Wow.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Robe, Yeah, that is rob Astrino in seven to ten
w R here on the rob Astorino Show. Mon Signior
Hillary Franco. So I got two questions for you, and
I'm going to let you go because you've had a
very long day you were part of you know, con
you were at the funeral in the hot sun.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
And spotted the Pontifical family. I had to be up there. Yeah,
so I got some son instead of going to the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Right. So the book story I want you to tell. Yes,
you wrote a book six Popes. Yes, great book, and
thank you for giving it to me. I had read
it a year ago whenever it came out, and it
was fascinating. Just be you know, you telling your stories
about the popes. You one day had one of your
(36:46):
books and you weren't ready to give it to the
Holy Father.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Yes, Oh, I gotta tell you this is a story.
You know that that was actually I remember the day
naturally was the fourth thus comber uh twenty twenty one. Yeah, uh.
And I have the book in my hands in one
of our meetings, you know, and uh and he says
(37:11):
to me, get close. You know what's that? I said,
I have this book where I would like to give
it to Cardinal Puddoline and said he said to me,
he said, what's wrong with me? I said, I said, okay, holiness,
you know, and I gave it to him. And you know,
just like I figured, yeah, it would be one of
(37:33):
those many things that he would put in the box.
Unbelievable that that was really incredible. Then I went back
to my office there at the Permanent Office of the
of the Observer of the Holy See to do that nations,
and we have, as you do know, a diplomatic pouch
in other words, because there were diplomats. So I all
(37:54):
of a sudden, you know, they, you know, the office there,
gives me this letter. There was no center, no nothing whatsoever,
you know. And that's when Signor Hillary Franklin. Naturally no
stamp because it was in the thing I opened it.
That was a letter actually written by the Pope, and
(38:18):
I naturally that his hand, not only that he signed
it from Francesco, addressed Caro Fradello, my dear brother, you know,
like a small f you know, and then he went
on to say that he had enjoyed the book and
so on. So the date is the eighth of the
(38:42):
day's eighth of September. So I gave it on the
fourth of September. He read it, he had read it, and.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Here I thought he was busy. Lab he was busy.
So I want to I want to publicly thank you.
So we I've been here. I got here Tuesday morning,
and I watched every day as it got busier and busier.
And on Wednesday they opened Saint Peter's for the Pope
lying in state, and I, you know, had wanted to
(39:13):
go in. The lines Wednesday and Thursday were five hours.
Two hundred and fifty thousand people went through over these
three days. Anyway, working for Newsmax and wl OR, I
had no time obviously to wait online. So I see
Monsignor Franco and I said, is there any way that
(39:35):
I could get in and pay my respects? Well, I
get a text from Monsignor Franco meet me tomorrow morning.
I'll come to the hotel at eleven o'clock. At about
twenty after eleven, I'm walking in. Was at the back
entrance to the episode. That's the private that's where President
(39:56):
Trump walked in today, I think to go through. Yes,
so it was a very press So explain how that worked.
Don't you just made it happen? Well, I mean, I guess, yeah, you,
but I honestly I just wanted to say thank you.
(40:19):
Probably that was an amazing moment for me.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Thank you for being with me.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Well, no, but it's like it. There are moments in
life that you don't forget. That's going to be one
of them. And I'm glad it was with you, yes,
because I saw you know, the public waiting online, oh
for hours, and they don't even stop. Yeah, you get
there and you turn immediately, even during the night. Correct.
So I through you had a chance to get whatever
it was ten fifteen feet and sit in a chair
(40:47):
and pray looking at the Holy Father in his casket,
and it was just an amazing moment. I just wanted
to say thank you, thank you to you, probably with me,
thank you, so Monsigne. I wish you well. They can
get your book right, yes, naturally Amazon.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
What by the way, this is really Amazon with the
Beautiful Job was number one on the Amazon list of
the releases. But I have to tell you that last Monday,
I was surprised because we had worked on and I
had reviewed, you know, the Italian translation, aids Sunny Paulina.
It's a very important publisher, you know, in the world,
(41:25):
you know, and they actually came. They sent me the
first copies of the Italian translation of Six Popes. And
I do have to say this, you know that I
like in a way. I mean, I had six popes.
It's only part of it because in that book, as
you have seen, you have my friendship with Mada Treesa
(41:50):
and the other leaders of the world, you know, kind
of actually full Ton Jay Sheen and you know a
lot of things. But in the title of the entire translation,
it's all amato laquiez, which are the words of Paul
(42:10):
the sixth. Actually I have loved the church. Wow. But
then in the under title it is so beautiful. I
love it. Ragatzo the Bronx, a kid from the Bronx
at the service of six popes.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
That's amazing. My Signor Franco, thank you for being with us.
I love you and I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Thank you so much, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Rob Astrino Show continues from Vatican City in just a moment.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Seven War presents the rob Astorino Show.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
All right, rob Astrino here on seven ten wor. I'm
at the Vatican. That's right. I am in Vatican City,
been here all week in Rome covering the funeral of
the Pope, and I will be either staying here directly,
which means I'll have left New York on Palm Sunday,
(43:05):
which seems forever ago, and I may be here another
two weeks straight, which means I'll be gone a month.
That's crazy.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I don't know if I'm flying home tomorrow and coming
back or just gonna stay. I don't even know yet.
I don't even know what I want to do. But
I don't want to get all screwed up with the
plane rides. But anyway, how do they get to the
airport by the way Liro's point to point? Of course
I did. They're amazing.
Speaker 3 (43:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
My wife's flight was all screwed up coming back from Brussels,
so they had to fly through Brussels and their flight
was delayed five hours. Oh my god, there's nothing worse
but Liro. So they were like texting me, we see you.
The flight was delayed. We'll still be at JIFK when
they get there. And there they were. So as I've said,
I don't want to put my wife, or my children,
(43:55):
or my parents anybody in a smelly taxi or an
uber where you don't know who the hell's driving. I'm
going to put them in a sedan from Lero's point
to point and they'll get there safely, and that's what
they did, so thank you Liros. Liros point to point
one little story. So you heard Monsignor Francotella about how
(44:19):
you know, I was thanking him earlier about getting me
in the private escort into the Vatican yesterday to be
able to into the Basilica to see the Pope and
to you know, give my my blessing and my my prayers.
And it really was amazing. But I had gotten a
chance to talk to we were waiting outside in sort
(44:43):
of the courtyard area. I talked to the private security,
the actual driver of the popemobile, and what a nice guy.
And he was telling me that prior to Pope Francis,
whenever they would go away, whenever they would take a
popemobile to another country, the driver of the popemobile would
(45:03):
be Secret Service or whatever country, they would provide the
security and the driver. So even like an NYPD if
then when he came to New York whomever, but with Francis,
they started with his own private drivers and security. So
this guy knew Francis really well. He was driving him
all the time. And I said to him, so tell me,
(45:25):
you know, like when you're in the popemobile and you're
driving down the road and you know he's up there
going waving, waving, blah blah blah and waving waving. I
see you. No, do you guys talk at all? And
he said, yeah, you know we would. There would be
a little downtime or we would talk. Or on the way,
you know, after the main parade route or procession, we
would you know, veer off and yeah, we would talk.
(45:48):
And I'm like, so, like, did he ever ask you, like,
you know, can you pull over to McDonald's I'm starving?
And he got such a good laugh. He goes, no,
he goes, But you know what, that's the kind of
sense of humor the Pope actually had, which I thought
was pretty cool. I thought that was pretty cool that,
you know, you get a little I mean, how many
times you talk to the Pope's driver, for God's sakes.
(46:09):
And it was just by luck and thankfully because of
Monsignor Franco that I was able to actually get that
that moment and real quick. So President Trump today meeting
with Vladimir Zelenski here at the Vatican before the funeral,
just for private time for you know, a few minutes. Yes,
there's a lot of you know, a lot of high solos.
(46:33):
Isn't really the place a funeral where they're coming in
and out real quick to have meetings. But they did
get a chance to talk for a little bit. And
you don't know, you don't know what's going to come
out of that. Maybe something good and maybe something will
break with regard to the Ukraine Russia war. But I
did think it was very cool President Trump to come
over here Milania. Trump is Catholic, so I thought it
(46:55):
was great. And the minute the Pope died, the Pope
the President said, I'm going. Despite the fact that the
Pope took some big shots at Donald Trump both in
the sixteen campaign and the last campaign. But Donald Trump
proved to be I don't want to say, the bigger man,
but he did what he was supposed to do. All right,
I gotta get out of here. So next week I'm
(47:15):
not sure where I'm gonna be. May maybe I'll be
in New York, doubtful. Maybe I'll be right back here
at in Rome and I'll do the show from here again.
But either way, every Saturday four o'clock, count on me,
and I'm counting on you. Thanks for being with me again. Folks,
I'll talk to you next Saturday, the rob Astarino Show
here on seven ten wr.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
Wana saida This Hour of programming on seven ten WOR.
He's sponsored by Toyota City and Mamaranac and Nissan City
of port Chester, proud members of the Integrity Automotive Group,
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