Before he became Pope Francis, he was Jorge Bergoglio, the son of an Italian railway worker living in what is now a comfortable Buenos Aires neighborhood.<br/> <br />Amalia, who also lived in the same area, says she had a close relationship with the new pontiff when they were children.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Amalia, Woman Who Says She Was A Childhood Friend Of Bergoglio saying (Spanish):<br/> <br />"He sent me a letter telling me that he was going to build me a house, that we would get married. And, unfortunately, my mother took the letter. I was looking all over for it and she said, 'So you're receiving letters from him."<br/> <br />But even then, she says, the priesthood was in his sights.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Amalia, Woman Who Says She Was A Childhood Friend Of Bergoglio saying (Spanish)<br/> <br />"He said to me, 'If I don't marry you, I'll become a priest."<br/> <br />Bergoglio became a man of the cloth at age 32, committing himself to a life of service and poverty. And while many in his native Argentina are exc
