November 13 - The Holy See

Back to the Vatican this morning, this time because I had been told that the Pope gives a public blessing to the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, and I wanted to see what the vibe was like there. I had also heard that there was going to be a canonization of a new saint this morning, and although one student who was Catholic doubted it, given that it hadn't been publicized much, we figured we'd go anyway and if the place was too crowded to tolerate, we could turn back.

We took the subway out to the Vatican station, and it didn't seem too busy so we guessed we had been wrong about the canonization. No matter - it would be interesting to watch the goings-on at St. Peter's, so we braved the gauntlet of trinket vendors as we walked up to the Vatican gates. Upon arriving inside, we joined the hordes of visitors, and I noticed a procession of cardinals entering the basilica from the west (I think) side. There were two giant video screens - much like you'd see at a ballgame - and they showed an enormous ceremony beginning inside. Three banners with photographs - two women and a man - hung outside, suggesting to me that we were right, except that there would be not one canonization, but three. As it turned out, that was the very event we were witnessing - these were people recommended for consecration by John Paul, but he died before he could bring it about. So, in about fifteen minutes, all three had been proclaimed saints by his successor. Guess I found myself in Rome on just the right day.

With all this going on, we thought perhaps the Pope wouldn't be giving the usual Sunday blessing, but the crowd amassed in the square wasn't budging, so I kept the camera handy and continued to watch. Soon, a window opened several floors over the plaza, and after about five minutes of preparation the Pope appeared, first explaining the significance of the event in Italian, and then greeting people of various nations in Spanish, English, Polish, French, and German, before going back to Italian to complete his address. While I can't claim to be religious myself, it was clear that people in the square were moved by the experience, so I was glad we'd made the extra trip.

After the Pope concluded his greeting, the pilgrims gradually dispersed. While this was going on, however, an impromptu celebration broke out right behind us. This involved a handful of musicians strumming guitars and singing, and others forming a circle around them and dancing. It must have been a well-known Italian folk song, because complete strangers would join the circle, sing a couple of verses, and then continue on their way. Pretty cool.

Making our way out of the city now, we walked north toward the river and then on another mile or two to the Spanish Steps. There, we were hungry and running short on time, so we grabbed a burger at McDonald's (our first of the trip, thankyouverymuch), and headed back to the hotel to meet our bus. The trip home was uneventful, and by 8pm or so we had arrived back at Santa Maria Novella station in Florence. That gave us just enough time to walk back to the apartment before collapsing. No late night dinners tonight!

Ciao,
Leanne