That Time Pope Francis Visited a Record Store in Rome

The late Pope Francis may have been the leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the world, but he was also just like you and I: a lover of music.

Classical music was his top choice. When asked about his favorites by Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Jesuit paper La Civilta Cattolica in 2013, he gave a detailed answer.

“Among musicians I love Mozart, of course,” he said. “The ‘Et incarnatus est’ from his Mass in C minor is matchless; it lifts you to God! I love Mozart performed by Clara Haskil. Mozart fulfills me. But I cannot think about his music; I have to listen to it. I like listening to Beethoven, but in a Promethean way, and the most Promethean interpreter for me is Furtwangler. And then Bach’s Passions. The piece by Bach that I love so much is the ‘Erbarme Dich,’ the tears of Peter in the ‘St. Matthew Passion.’ Sublime. Then, at a different level, not intimate in the same way, I love Wagner. I like to listen to him, but not all the time. The performance of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ by Furtwangler at La Scala in Milan in 1950 is for me the best. But also the ‘Parsifal’ by Knappertsbusch in 1962.”

Given his clearly extensive knowledge of music, it makes sense then that Pope Francis was spotted visiting a record store called Stereosound in Rome back in January of 2022, something the store owner said he did regularly when in town on Church business. (You can watch a video of this event taking place below.)

According to reporting from Reuters, the Pope left that day with a classical CD, though which exact one has never been determined.

“The Holy Father,” the shop owner told journalists then (via Mother Jones), “is passionate about music.”

Just how passionate? Approximately 2000 CDs worth. Shortly after Pope Francis’ record store visit, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who was then President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, opened up to La Civilta Cattolica about the Pope’s expansive collection. Most of the hundreds of CDs were of classical music, but there was also some Edith Piaf, Argentinian tango music and a 25-disc collection of Elvis Presley’s Gospel songs.