A Unique Pope-ortunity

Almost empty at 9:30am

Our original plan for Sunday was to see anything left on our list after Ancient Friday and Holy Saturday. I was thinking of visiting the Appian Way; a large park surrounding an ancient Roman road. But then Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement, and Sunday, February 24 at noon, was the last time he would bless the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s square. We had to go!

Waiting for the Pope to Speak

Expecting a crowd of thousands, and wanting a good view, we arrived in the square at 9:30. The place was hardly crowded. We scouted some seats and then went searching for pastries and souvenirs. Having obtained both, we returned to the square, and found a spot to wait. It was by an out of order fountain, and we could sit on the encircling railing. And we waited. And we waited some more. The sun was mostly out so we were mostly warm. At one point, tired of sitting, Joe stood up and some woman stole his seat. So rude! You knew the Pope’s last blessing would be crowded – if you wanted to sit, you should have gotten there earlier. So then Joe would sit on the ground, or I would while he sat on the railing. And we waited. Bored, I got out my Rick Steve’s audio Europe guide and listened to Rick tell me about St. Peter’s square.

The Banner built the Anticipation of the Crowd

Much to my surprise, Rick told us we had been Pope watching at the wrong window! His Holiness would appear at his study window, in the Papal apartments; a building to the left of St. Peter’s Square, not in the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The balcony we had been watching was where, 2 weeks later, the Cardinal Protodeacon would announce the election of a new Pope. Luckily, we still had a really good view, perhaps even better than before. We rotated ourselves 90 degrees and began watching the correct window.

At 11:50 am, the window opened, and the translucent white curtains began to flutter. A buzz went through the crowd and the whole dynamic changed, something was happening. This feeling wore off when no one emerged immediately, the multitude quieted, and returned, almost as patiently as before, to waiting. Several minutes later the murmur rose again – the Pope’s secretary parted the curtains to hang the Papal banner. This time the excitement didn’t fade, the air was charged. We really could feel the energy of the crowd rising with each passing moment. At last he emerged, God’s rock star; and the crowd treated him as such. I’ve heard the phrase “thunderous applause” before, but never has it been aptly used before this moment. Hundreds of thousands were all clapping for this frail old man, creating a wave of sound like I had never heard before. Every bird in the vicinity took flight, racing around the square, terrified by the sounds below.

Pope Benedict XVI at his final Sunday blessing
24 February 2013

The Adoring Multitude

And as quickly as it started, all noise ceased. Silence fell as the Pope raised his hands and began his last Sunday Angelus. I don’t even know what the man said, but it was moving to just be a part of something larger than ourselves. The Pope did say a few remarks in English but the way sound bounces around in the square, I couldn’t understand much of it. He took the time to address the crowd in Italian, Spanish, German, French, and English, as well as another language I couldn’t identify, and each time a chunk of the crowd cheered to hear their native tongue. It’s possible that the service was in Latin, and if this was the case, in 20 minutes, the Pope spoke coherently in 7 languages.



When he finished, he said goodbye, and returned to his study. His secretaries pulled up the banner; the blessing, and the charged moment, was over.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Article about the Last Blessing of Pope Benedict XVI