Saint John XXIII

John XXIII, who was made a saint on April 27, is remembered by many for his warmth, simplicity, social conscience and sense of humor. Pope Francis, who canonized “the Good Pope,” recalled his predecessor as being holy, patient and a man of courage, especially by calling the Second Vatican Council. “He was a man who let himself be guided by the Lord;” Pope Francis has said. But the Italian Pope John was also guided by his cheerful disposition and his simplicity. Here’s a look at some of saint’s John funny quips:

Visiting a hospital, he asked a boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy said either a policeman or a pope. “I would go in for the police if I were you,” the pope said. ‘”Anyone can become a pope, look at me!”

In reply to a reporter who asked, “How many people work in the Vatican?” he reportedly said: ‘”About half of them.”

When a cardinal complained that a rise in Vatican salaries meant a particular usher earned as much as the cardinal, the pope remarked: “That usher has 10 children; I hope the cardinal doesn’t.”

Not long after he was elected pope, Blessed John was walking in the streets of Rome. A woman passed him and said to her friend, “My God, he’s so fat!” Overhearing what she said, he turned around and replied, “Madame, I trust you understand that the papal conclave is not exactly a beauty contest.”

When he was cardinal and patriarch of Venice, the future pope was talking with a wealthy city resident and told him, “You and I have one thing in common: money. You have a lot and I have nothing at all. The difference is I don’t care about it.”

A Vatican official told the pope it would be “absolutely impossible” to open the Second Vatican Council by 1963. “Fine, we’ll open it in 1962,” he answered. And he did.