Find Out What Aretha Franklin Gave Pope Francis

During Pope Francis' historic visit to the US, Aretha Franklin was one of the few artists to be able to sing for the pontiff.  At the Festival of Families, the Queen of Soul rendered an unforgettable version of the hymn "Amazing Grace."  After her singing, Franklin also presented to the Pope something very dear to her heart. "I want it to be a surprise, but I think Pope Francis will like it." 

She presented to Pope Francis  a boxed set of her father's sermons. "He was a theologian and gave very dynamic and educational sermons," she explains of C.L. Franklin, who died in 1984, and whose Baptist church in Detroit was where a young Aretha found her footing as a singer. "If he could have met the pope, it would have been a very exciting discussion." 

It's not the first time Franklin has given her vocal glory to a pope. In 1987, she sang for John Paul II from a distance, as his motorcade was winging its way through the Motor City. But this time she hopes to get much closer to Pope Francis, and give her approval firsthand.

"He shows he has personal humility when he talks about himself as the son of an immigrant," she adds. "He remembers where he comes from, and he has not been overwhelmed by the things he's been given or the huge title of pope. There's a greatness in humility. I subscribe to that myself in my life. I don't get carried away with the things that people give me, because people don't have to give you anything!"

 

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