A long, long wait to see the pope

Thursday, July 1, 2010

* Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

BLOGGER PROFILE

What would you endure to see the pope? That is not a hypothetical question for the pilgrims from Miami and Orlando.

Many made the choice Wednesday morning — despite an exhausting day yesterday and a non-stop schedule the whole week — to leave the hotel by 7:30 a.m. and spend three hours waiting in the very hot Rome sun in order to see Pope Benedict ride by in his popemobile.

All of us received tickets to the Wednesday general audience, which was held in St. Peter’s Square. The tickets entitled us to a seat — those without tickets simply stand toward the back of the square.

But the key is to get there early in order to sit as close as possible to one of the barricades and get the clearest view of the pope. It is truly a test of faith and endurance. Not just because of the heat — it hit 90 degrees in Rome today and there is no shade in St. Peter’s Square — but also because of the people. They tend to get very excited when the pope arrives. They stand on the plastic chairs which are rickety to begin with; they push their way to the front at the last minute, ignoring the complaints of those who have been there for hours; and they shrug their shoulders and stay put when Vatican security asks them to step back or stop blocking the view of somebody who legitimately got to the barricade first. Those who have experienced this sometimes express shock at witnessing such an un-Christian spectacle.

I know this from hearsay, mind you, as I have not had to endure the shoving crowds. Both Monday evening at the vespers service and Tuesday morning at the pallium Mass I had a spot reserved on the press platform, where (believe it or not) the journalists are much more civilized.

This morning I skipped the general audience in order to catch up on work (mainly processing the hundreds of pictures I have taken). My partner, Daniel Soñé, did go, however. Although he did not have to fight the crowds (press pass) he did have to wear a dark suit (coat and tie) the Vatican requirement for journalists. Needless to say, he ended up soaked with sweat from top to bottom, as the audience lasted nearly two hours.

Miami’s Archbishop Thomas Wenski and his auxiliary bishops, Felipe Estevez and John Noonan, also endured the heat in their black robes for the length of the audience, as the pope greeted all 38 of the archbishops who received their pallium yesterday and the pilgrims who accompanied them to Rome — repeating his remarks in many, many languages. Some of those groups included choirs whose members, I am told, did not limit their singing to one verse.

Was this foretaste of purgatory worth it? Check out Daniel’s photos and judge for yourself.