A historical day

I'm sure many of you heard or saw news reports from Pope Benedict's last general audience as Pope before he retires on February 28 at 8:00 PM.  Probably most of you heard that there were around 150,000 people inside and around St. Peter's Square to hear the Pontiff give one last catechesis and blessing.  So, I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I just have to say...

I WAS THERE!  

and

IT WAS PRETTY COOL!

Okay, got that out of the way.  I must say, it was a pleasure and a joy to be in the crowd.  From a simple historical point of view, this isn't something that happens very often (or really ever at all).  I have been reflecting on how lucky I am to be in Rome during this time.  No matter your religious beliefs or feelings of the Church and Papacy at this time, I think most would agree that this is a historically unique moment.  As I said in an earlier post, I am struck with how much attention the Vatican continues to garner in a western world that is becoming more and more secularized.  For those who share the Catholic faith, this is not only a historic moment for the Church, but also a  time for deep reflection and prayer, as well as a time to give thanks to God and look forward in hope.  It is a time of great grace. 

So, let me share about the day.

It started normally with our community mass at 6:00.  (Yes, that is our normal time!).  After a quick breakfast, 8 of us left the house at 7:00.  (Now remember, the Audience starts at 10:30).  We hopped on a bus, then on the subway to the stop near the Vatican.  Our rector had waited in line for two hours the day before to pick up the tickets we had reserved.  But, even with the tickets we were not guaranteed a seat.  In fact, my ticket number was 64,081...and, yes, I think they're printed sequentially.  Before entering the Square, we stopped in a sea of people outside the colonnade that circles the square.  I figured we had reached our final destination.  However, the crowd was moving, and as it turns out, we were allowed through security and into the Square.  In fact, as we entered, they just opened up the "second section" and we were able to find front row seating in our section which meant we would be very near the pathway that the Pope would take.  Needless to say, we had awesome seats. 

The crowds starting to gather in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

With Bros. Dani, Nereo, Bosco and Javier.

Also in our group, Bro. Les and Frs. Andre and Pachi.

I passed the two and a half hours of waiting by reading a book (yes, school work...I think the Pope would be proud), meeting two journalism students from Chicago who were sent to cover the story for Northwestern University, and talking with the Swiss Guard who was near our seats.  It was fascinating to talk with him.  Some interesting facts about the Swiss Guards:

• You must be Swiss and Catholic
• The guards serve for two years, and new recruits are brought in three times a year
• Every year, there is a special audience with the Pope to meet the current Guards and their parents
• The Swiss Guards are there to guard the Pope (not the Vatican, per se).  When Benedict leaves the Vatican, he will go to Castel Gandolfo in the nearby hills.  There will be Guards present until 8:00 (his time of retirement).  At that point, the Guards will (technically) leave because there will not be a Pope to protect.  Their mission changes to serve and protect the Cardinal-electors until a new Pope is elected.
• He mentioned that this is a somewhat stressful time (for many reasons) because, given the secrecy and the Conclave procedure, no one knows when a new Pope will be named.  They will have probably less than an hour to get ready for thousands of people to enter the Square when white smoke is seen.
• It was interesting to watch him interact with the many people trying to get around the barricade he was watching.  Folks come up with any story to try to get a better seat.  He held fast.  He also told us that the priests are very difficult because they think they own the place, and that the Italian Sisters can be quite forceful!  

Our friend Peter the Swiss Guard.

At 10:30, the festivities began.  The Pope entered in his Pope-mobile and made a circuit through the crowd to cheers of "Viva Papa" and "Benedetto, Benedetto." 

There were also all kinds of flags.

 From our position, we were about five feet away from where he passed.  Pretty cool! 

I tried to get a picture, but Javier's hands got in the way.

Ahhh, there's the money shot!  By the way, no zoom on the camera!  We were that close.

Just one more.

The Audience began with a reading from the book of Colossians about  gratitude, read in several languages.  Then, the Pope offered some reflections.  He pretty much said "Thank You" to God and to all people for their prayers and support.  He also said that his pontificate has had the good and the bad.  Using the image of the Apostles fishing in the boat, he said there were days of calm seas and sun, but also days of rough seas and storms.  Maybe my favorite line was: "I always knew that the Lord was in this boat, and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but it is the Lord's." Words of strong faith and humility!  He also repeated the motivations for his choice of resignation - given his health, it is for the good of the Church.  Finally, he commented that he would continue to serve the Church through a life of prayer in the footsteps of his namesake, St. Benedict (the Father of western monasticism).  He is "not abandoning the cross, just resting in a new manner near to the cross."  Good words for all of us to hear.

Believe it or not, the Pope is up there under the canopy.  Even though the picture doesn't show it, we were pretty close all things considered.  But, my binoculars did help, too.

He repeated his message (in a much shorter form) in several languages.  Then, he led the crowd in singing the Our Father and imparted his blessing upon us - extending it to our families and all loved ones back home.  So, consider yourself blessed!  All I can say at this point, was that it was quite moving to be there.  I think I'm still processing the enormity of what I witnessed today. 

We all have our opinions about Pope Benedict XVI.  We have all heard the many criticisms (some of them not unfounded.)  But, what I saw today was a man of great humility and courage.  This could not have been an easy choice (and not popular with some).  It was unprecedented!  But, it is also a lesson in knowing our own limitations and in remembering that the Pope is a human and a human office.  I really believe that he will lead the rest of his life in solitude and prayer - the fears of having "two popes" or "two spiritual guides" are unfounded in my opinion.  At this point, I know very little about the theology of Joseph Ratzinger.  But, my hunch is that we can learn much from him, simply from these last few days. 

And now, we wait for white smoke.

A Cardinal from Germany came down to greet some German pilgrims.  Who knows, maybe this is a picture of the next Pope!

And, of course, the Germans brought a band.

Bro. Dani took a few videos.  Here are links to them:

Video #1: My musings on what was going on inside the Vatican.

Video #2: This is in Italian, but Bro. Dani says he could be taking the video of the first American Pope, and I respond that I'm reading a book on the Acts of the Apostles.  If I'm going to be Pope, I probably need to know this stuff.


Ciao!