Sunday our class got to see Pope Francis. For Romans, this is a regular feature of life here; the Pope appears from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square twice a week when he is not traveling. But for tourists, visitors and pilgrims the Pope’s appearance is the occasion for cheering, marching bands, the waving of national flags and shouts of “Viva Papa Francisco!”
Sunday’s appearance had a special significance because it was the third anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as pope.
“I greet all of you who have come from Rome, Italy, and other countries…I greet the numerous parish groups…as well as young people from many parts of Italy,” said Pope Francis, in Italian.
The Pope spoke from a window in the Apostolic Palace high above the crowd. His voice rang through the square, and although he appeared as just a speck in the window, his image was broadcast on two huge screens in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Our team of Religio16 reporters were spread throughout the massive square to record the event.
While Armando Garcia, Santiago Melli-Huber and Fahmo Mohammed visually captured the spirit of the event through stand ups and photos, Vicky Huang and Katie Shepherd captured the opinions of the faithful through their interviews with attendees.
Outside the plaza gates, Shepherd and Huang spoke with two sisters of Madre del Buon Consiglio. Sister Arlyn Bernal, a 45-year-old Phillipines native, and Sister Nirmala Perthalis, a 42-year-old India native, travelled 2 hours from their convent in Naples only to wait outside the square.
Sister Arlyn Bernal and Sister Nirmala Perthalis are nuns in Naples, Italy.
“We don’t want to go inside because [the line] is too long,” Bernal said. “We can stand here and get a really good view.”
The two joined thousands who lined the streets, listening attentively as the Pope’s pacifying voice carried itself over the plaza’s walls. Groups of nuns and priests joined tourists and locals in their spiritual quest. Their faith inspired patience as they balanced their attention between an obscure view of the papal window and the plaza’s jumbo screens.
Convents and congregations from countries as far as Peru raised flags, balloons and crosses symbolizing their loyalty to the pope and their national pride.
While seeing the Pope was a definite highlight of our day, our mission in Rome is to cover more than just Catholics. I was part of a group of Religio reporters who went to report on Protestants who worship roughly 2 miles away from the Vatican in an area called Monti, which is near the Roman Coliseum. As Catholic worshippers filed into the gracious space of St. Peters, Protestant worshippers filed into close-knit pews to pray.
Chinese, Korean, and African communities highlighted Rome’s diversity of ethnicity and faith.
“I’m just really surprised that the Chinese community can engage in a diverse set of religious activities,” said Huang. “I was worried that I couldn’t find any Chinese religious groups on the very first day of reporting, but coming to this area I was really surprised to find such religious diversity.”
In Monti, rows of protestant churches sit beside each other in a holy row.
“I thought it was really interesting that most of the churches in Monti, or at least the ones that we visited, were not only ethnic and cultural minorities but also religious minorities,” said Shepherd.
And according to Covering Religion Professor Alexander Stille, the location’s appeal is growing.
“Part of the charm of Monti is that it has remained a real Rome neighborhood made up of old time residents of Monti, with new time residents and it’s not excessively touristy,” said Stille. “So you have a lot of different types of layers going on.”
After a full day of reporting, our entire class gathered for dinner at La Gattabuia, a restaurant in a subterranean warren of rooms that once served as a papal prison. According to the popular travel site Trip Advisor, La Gattabuia is one of Rome’s most excellent restaurants.
So what’s the best way to conclude a day of papal coverage? Heaping bowls of pasta followed by spoonfuls of the city’s best tiramisu.
I guess this papal prison serves more than bread and water.
Great report. It sounds like the trip is off to a good start.