Italian man hung up on Pope Francis twice thinking it was a prank call

An Italian man hung the phone up on Pope Francis twice thinking it was a prank call.

The error was revealed by the Vatican newspaper l’Osservatore Romano this week.

The pontiff, who often contacts strangers who write to him or whose problems he hears about, called Franco Rabuffi on Monday to comfort him as he was sick.

Rabuffi disconnected the call twice thinking the call was a hoax.

When the pope rang back a third time, Rabuffi finally took him seriously.

“I was speechless but Francis came to my rescue, saying that what had happened was funny,” he told the Vatican newspaper.

Rabuffi, along with his wife, appeared before the pope during the Vatican’s general audience on Wednesday and personally apologised for his mistake.