Pope Francis has made headlines yet again by putting kindness above protocol. 

Pope Francis broke the rules to invite an old friend for a ride in his popemobile, according to The New Zealand Herald. 

Father Fabian Baez did not have a VIP ticket to the pope's weekly general address in St. Peter's Square. But when Pope Francis saw the priest, who he knew from his days as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, he signaled for the guards to help him over the security barricades. 

According to Reuters, the two embraced, and Pope Francis was heard telling Baez, "This photo is going to go around the world." The pope then invited Baez to hop onto the popemobile and accompany him as he toured through the square. 

Pope Francis is known for making an extra effort to connect with his religious followers. 

On New Year's Eve, a group of Spanish nuns got a big surprise when they checked their answering machine and saw that they had missed a call from the pope. Pope Francis, speaking in Spanish, said jokingly, "What are the nuns doing that they can't answer the phone?"

According to Voice of America, the recording was soon obtained by the Spanish media. In the message, the pope went on to say, "This is Pope Francis. I wanted to offer you greetings for the end of the year. Maybe I'll try to call again later. May God bless you."

The five nuns, who are in a Carmelite community in the Spanish town of Lucena, include three nuns from the pope's home country of Argentina. 

The prioress of the convent, Sister Adriana, told Spain's COPE radio, that she "literally wanted to die" when she heard the pope's surprise message. She said she and the other nuns were praying when the pope called, which was around midday. 

The pope did call back later, and spoke to the nuns that evening.