His books
lie on my desk, a tangible reminder of the astounding news this week.
Pope
Benedict XVI will resign from papal office on Feb. 28, breaking a 600-year-old
tradition.
As a
religion writer, I have read every Vatican story that crossed my desk in the
city Newsroom during the past eight years, trying to get to know Joseph
Ratzinger, the man who became pope.
But it was
my freelance work for the Tiverton-Little Compton Patch that gave me a window
into the world of the Vatican.
In October
2011, I drove to The Commons Lunch in Little Compton for an interview with Dr.
Joseph “Joe” H. Hagan, a local who visited the restaurant every morning after
daily Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Parish.
While
serving as president of Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., Hagan became a
trustee of John Cabot University in Rome and was appointed as a
Gentleman-in-Waiting at the Vatican, a position he has held for the past 22
years.
It is the
duty of a Gentleman-in-Waiting to escort dignitaries and heads of state to an
audience with the pope.
Consequently,
Hagan served Pope John Paul II, now Blessed John Paul II, from his appointment
in 1991 until the pontiff’s death in 2005; and Pope Benedict XVI from the time
of his election that same year to the present.
Hagan described
Pope Benedict as very traditional, warm and sweet.
“He has a
beautiful personality,” Hagan said. “You can see it in his face.”
Today, I
received an email from Father Giorgio Rizzieri, the Catholic chaplain of Rome Fiumicino
International Airport in Italy.
A few years
ago, he commented on one of my stories, and since then we have been
correspondents.
When I heard
the news of Pope Benedict’s resignation, I emailed Father Giorgio to hear his
reaction.
“I have
touching memories of my encounters with him each time he had to board a flight
for an apostolic journey,” Father Giorgio said.
He added
that he will always remember the pope’s calm demeanor, gentle smile and
fatherly concern, especially his words of thanks and encouragement for his
ministry.
“I will
bring this with me for the rest of my life,” he said.
Father
Giorgio wrote that the pope’s legacy will be the genuine experience of faith
focused on reason.
“Every
Wednesday I looked forward to listening to his catechesis at the General Audience
– true delicious nourishings of mind and spirit,” he said. “He taught all
Catholics to be strictly united in the Church and to be bold enough to swim
against the tide of the politically correct. His ultimate effort for this
target was his recent proclamation of a hopefully fruitful Year of Faith.”
Well done, Linda. A beautiful account from people not usually heard from at momentous moments. You have given us a true insight into a distant figure for many of us.
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