The pope might just call you if you write to him: Pontiff has been telephoning people who send him letters

A word of warning to those who write personal notes to Pope Francis: He might just call you back.

Francis has already charmed the masses with his informal style, simplicity and sense of humour.

But a handful of strangers have gotten the treatment up close, receiving papal phone calls out of the blue after writing him or suffering some personal tragedy.

So the Catholic faithful are being warned: Be ready, especially if the landline rings.

The 76-year-old Francis has a fondness for making calls the old-fashioned way, using land lines and placing the calls himself, often surprising recipients by simply announcing: 'It's the pope.'

After his election in March, Francis reportedly called his newspaper stand in Buenos Aires to cancel his daily delivery and his shoemaker to tell him not to bother with papal red leather loafers but to keep making his regular black orthotics.

I said it then and I will say it now. I love this pope.