Palm Sunday w The Pope

Taking part in the Palm Sunday service at the Vatican was magical. I secured my ticket several months in advance by contacting the Vatican office. Once I got to Rome I attended the orientation to learn the do’s and dont’s of attending mass. The morning of Palm Sunday I woke up early and made my way to Saint Peter’s Square by metro. My determination to arrive early paid off. I made my way to the front of St. Peter’s Square, sitting in the front section at the entrance of the Basilica.

Earlier in the week the Pope had been in the hospital. It was not guaranteed he would be attending the Mass. I wondered if this could be his last year with us. Later on during a tour of the Vatican my tour guide will tell me Pope Francis will move into Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, the home where Pope Benedict moved to where he spent his last days. This is, of course, within Vatican City. Originally this was the Vatican gardener’s house and was established as a cloistered convent by John Paul II in 1994.

The air was brisk and I made the mistake of skipping breakfast. A couple loud and giggly teenage girls sat behind me. The woman in front of me and I exchanged annoyed looks. I sat and admired the atmosphere for what seemed like forever. I become the “Hulk” when I’m hungry so I was hoping the Pope didn’t try to strike up a conversation with me. Not the moment. Although I’m not Catholic I was considering taking communion to get the wafer to hold me over.

Getting closer to the Pope’s entrance.

As the morning went on St. Peter’s Square was filled. So many people their to worship and take in the experience.

The Pope takes his seat in front of the crowd at 10:22am and the sun comes out. No joke. It had been overcast and chilly all morning. Weird. So weird. The service was in Italian, maybe Latin. I’m just an ignorant Americano so it’s hard to differentiate (this is something I wish to improve). The chanting was gorgeous! The rhythmic speech was both relaxing and hypnotizing.