Arrivederci, Papa!

Yesterday was the last day of the Holy Father in the United States and his last public appearance was also probably the one that drew the biggest crowd of all. And if the Yankee Stadium had a greater capacity than 57,000, it would have seen more people coming to attend the Sunday mass, the only one officiated by Pope Benedict XVI in the country. But of course millions more were watching the celebration on TV, not only in the U.S., but also around the world.

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Who would have thought that Joseph Ratzinger would fit so well into the role of pope? The question was asked by one of the commentators covering the papal mass. The Holy Father’s offering also marked the bicentennial anniversary, the 200th year of five dioceses in America: Baltimore, Boston, Louisville, New York and Philadelphia. It also noted the 195 dioceses and archdioceses now existing in that country. The venue of the mass, the famed Yankee Stadium did not look like a sports site at all, with the arrangements made for the event. Reporters noted with admiration the hexagon-shaped motif with colorful rays radiating from the papal coat of arms at the center.

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The Pontiff was cheered upon his arrival and the welcome honors were done by Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, who was later gifted with a set of mass vestments by the Holy Father. The cardinal announced that he was going to wear it when he says mass next Sunday and commented “I’m sure I will look great in it”. Egan, like the Pope later, spoke in Spanish before ending his rather lengthy speech, for the benefit of the Latinos in the congregation. Both were received with thunderous applause.

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I was very happy to be able to witness the entire mass said by the Holy Father and noted that many government officials of New York were also present, led by its governor and mayor. It was very fascinating, too, to listen to the very German accent of the Pope who, anyway, spoke with perfect grammar in both English and Spanish. He enunciated every word so clearly that even if he would say “Zenk you”, his inflection, rather than his pronunciation conveyed the sincerity of his words.

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The communion service took quite a long time, with 700 priests spread out to distribute the sacred host. A few were privileged to have the Holy Father himself give them communion, and during the long lull when this was going on, music was played and a noted tenor, Marcello Giordani, sang the “Panis Angelicus”. The Pope listened very attentively to the song and to all the short speeches delivered by representatives of several countries. The one who spoke for the Philippines wore a terno and was all dolled up for the occasion. The speakers all looked very aware of the significance of their selection.

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Everytime they cheered or applauded what the Pope said, the congregation would wave the white and yellow flaglets, colors of the Vatican, and it was a beautiful sight especially on color TV. Even those in the very highest tiers could be seen applauding and waving. Later, as the Popemobile moved through the stadium, with His Holiness reaching out to touch or shake hands with those nearest the way, a commentator noted that the organizers had made sure that the grass on which the games were played, had been carefully protected so nobody could step on it.

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Vice President Dick Cheney made a very sentimental farewell speech, asking the Pope to “remember us in your prayers”, and ending with “Till we meet again”. Pope Benedict XVI himself sounded a bit sad as he also bade goodbye to the people who had welcomed him so warmly, and mentioned some of the officials, both of the church and of the government, for their hospitality and for making his visit so memorable. He also summed up the highlights of his stay, and the people and places he had visited, ending with the very simple statement, “With this I take my leave… May God bless America!”

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I had forgotten that most cities in the U.S. are now observing Daylight Saving Time, so I planned to tune in again at 7 p.m. as the announcer said, for the coverage of the papal departure for Rome. But some guardian angel must have prodded me to tune in at 6 p.m. and I discovered that the scene had already shifted to the JFK airport where officials were standing by for his departure. Vice President and Mrs. Cheney were there and so was a big flock of church dignitaries. I felt sad to see the Holy Father finally ascend the 30 or more steps to the Alitalia, or “Shepherd One”, plane, wondering if he did not feel some aches and pains doing so. After he made his final two-arm wave to the crowd seeing him off, the door closed, ending the historic visit.

By the way, when I got to the office later, a news dispatch came in announcing that His Holiness had already arrived in Rome. (A news item on this can be found on page 10 of this issue.)*

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