Archbishop’s Aussie joke sends Pope into hysterics

Archbishop Christopher Prowse greets Pope Francis in Rome on October 28. The Archbishop said he felt like he was talking to a “saint in the making”. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

“TANTI kanguri,” Archbishop Christopher Prowse said as he greeted Pope Francis in Rome on October 28, prompting a burst of laughter from the Argentine Pontiff.

The Archbishop said he thought of the Australian take on the common Italian phrase ‘tanti auguri’ – which means best wishes – while he was waiting in line to greet the Pope.

Although the encounter was only brief, Archbishop Christopher said he felt like he was “meeting a loving father”.

“I felt I was meeting a parish priest of the world and there was a great sense of feeling relaxed with him,” he said.

“I felt that I was talking to a saint in the making.”

The Archbishop was attending a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II declaration, Nostra Aetate.