#meaningfulsilence

Yesterday was one of the most unusual days in the history of the Church. After centuries of so much uniformity, we saw on TV what hundreds of generations of Catholics never even thought of seeing: a Pope leaving his papal house, his papal office, and his papal ministry. The live streaming presented every instant from the moment the Pope emeritus left his apartment to his arrival to Castel Gandolfo. I heard some persons complaining that showing so much on TV was an exaggeration. I do not agree. I am actually grateful for the images because they are history. The images, however, were not the most shocking aspect of this departure from the Vatican. Watching the video with more than fifty persons, it was a great impact for all of us to have witness the silence as Benedict XVI was greeting everyone in the Vatican. Yes, the helicopter's engine was not silent, but there were not many words said, just the necessary, that's what I mean. Some sources say that his holiness did not pronounce more speeches at the Vatican after lunch and no one held more conversations with him. The Pope that spoke so much to us and to the world left his residence with what seemed to be a meditative silence and certainly a silence that respected beautifully the occasion. This absence of words, even from the TV commentators, was contrasted by the ringing of St. Peter's bells as the helicopter rose from the ground.

The city of Rome, in a nice gesture, decided to stick big public posters in honor of the Pope on the spaces reserved for political propaganda. The posters are all over the city. On the top they hold the symbol and the name of the city. On the bottom, the posters say "You will remain with us always, Thank you". The photo above in this blog shows two of these posters along the road of the Tiber River.

Benedict XVI arrived to Castel Gandolfo still as a Pope. Over there he broke the silence to greet and thank the persons that showed up to express affection. There was at least one group of walking pilgrims from a town 3 miles away from Castel Gandolfo. I found touching the video in the evening newscast that showed all the kids who went on this pilgrimage with beautiful signs that expressed gratitude and who were smiling of joy because they had seen the Pope. Two and half hours after his arrival, Benedict XVI was no longer Pope. Today we do not have a Pope. To be in Rome without a Pope is so awkward. The good example of our Pope emeritus, nonetheless, remains very strongly and will remain in many of us for a long time.