As we join the faithful around the world in mourning Pope Francis, we reflect on one of his more touching moments: talking about how he enjoyed his coffee.
In a 2009 interview with La Nación, then–Cardinal Bergoglio confessed his fondness for slipping into Roman cafés to savor a ristretto—a short, rich espresso shot—standing upright against the cafe counter while drinking it. Even while on the go, his cup of coffee was a way to take a short pause and enjoy the goodness of life and the goodness of God by a little taste of heaven in a cup. Quiet moments of prayer can happen anywhere–even while leaning on the counter of a cafe.
Today, as we raise our mugs in his memory, we are invited to turn our daily ritual into an act of remembrance. But we wanted to take this moment and reflect on something bigger: the papacy & coffee have a long history in the West! In fact, one could say, the papacy began the importance of coffee in the west.
“Satan’s Drink”: How Coffee Became Catholic
Though it feels like Catholic coffee has always been part of our Catholic drink traditions, history tells a different story. In the early days of coffee’s arrival in Europe, it was anything but a Christian coffee history success.
Coffee’s journey to the Church and coffee culture began in Ethiopia, where legend says a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his flock dancing energetically after nibbling bright red berries. Curious monks then brewed those berries into a rich drink that helped them stay awake through long nights of prayer. As coffee spread through Yemen and the Islamic world, it became a staple of religious rituals and lively cafés.
When Venetian traders introduced coffee to Western Europe in the 16th century, its Islamic origins caused an uproar. Some clergy labeled it “Satan’s drink,” fearing it was a temptation meant to lure Christians away from the faith. Suspicion, fueled by fear of foreign influences, threatened to banish coffee from Catholic life before it even began.
Pope Clement VIII: The Coffee Baptism
Everything changed with Pope Clement VIII, whose impact on the history of coffee cannot be overstated. His advisors pressured him to condemn the suspicious brew, urging him to protect Catholic history from corruption. Instead, the Pope chose to taste it for himself.
He was delighted.
Pope Clement reportedly exclaimed, “This Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.” Instead of banning it, he blessed it, figuratively “baptizing” coffee into Christian culture.
Thanks to Pope Clement VIII, Catholic Europe embraced coffee enthusiastically. It became a morning alternative to alcohol (which had been a common breakfast drink due to unsafe water), and Catholic monasteries began brewing it to support long hours of prayer and study. In the span of a few years, coffee transformed from a suspicious foreign drink into a beloved part of religious coffee origins.
Coffee and the Catholic Tradition
The story of coffee and Christianity shows how what was once viewed as a dangerous temptation can, with the right spirit, become a tool for grace. Catholic cafés today proudly serve brews inspired by saints, sacraments, and popes, continuing the legacy of welcoming this once-feared drink into Catholic life.
Saints like Padre Pio found strength in the quiet moments over coffee, reported to have drunk it from a bowl while spending hours responding to all the letters he had received.
And the connection between coffee and the papacy flourished in the two centuries before our own. Two saintly popes of recent ages, Popes Leo XIII of the 19th century and St. Paul VI of the 20th, were known for their fasting…but even their secretaries noted that they didn’t skip their morning cup of coffee. To send important communications to Pope St. John Paul II during the peak of the Cold War, United States security advisors would use the code word “cappuccino” to signal they needed to give important information!
(And we can suggest here that even the Bible encourages drinking coffee? Look no further than Proverbs 31:6: “Give strong drink to him who is perishing.”)
Catholic scholars and laypeople alike made coffee a central part of intellectual and spiritual life. Venerable Fulton Sheen, one of the most prominent Catholic intellectuals in the United States of the 20th century, famously said: “The average American is physically, biologically, psychologically and neurologically unable to do anything worthwhile before he has a cup of coffee. And that goes for prayer too…Let them have coffee before meditation.” We can reflect that Pope Francis continued in this tradition with his simple, reflective pauses with a café ristretto in the streets of Rome.
Every morning cup today is part of a tradition stretching back centuries—a beautiful reminder that Catholic drink traditions have always been about redeeming the good in creation, infusing ordinary moments with extraordinary faith.
In Memory of a Faithful Servant
As we honor the life and legacy of Pope Francis, let’s remember the example he left us:
Faith isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s found in the silence between sips, in the hush of prayer, in the gratefulness for a simple morning ritual.
Next time you brew your Catholic coffee, take a moment to thank Pope Clement VIII for “baptizing” your favorite drink—and Pope Francis for showing us how to savor God’s presence in the quiet beauty of everyday life.
