Sr Janet Fearns

Living in Rome and working at Vatican Radio can sometimes have a strange effect on the brain! The days leading up to World Youth Day had a wonderful ability to concentrate the thoughts on nothing else. The end result was that it was almost a surprise to look up from my desk to see that there were other things going on in the world! With the radio’s entire resources pointing towards Cologne, as the day approached, so did the momentum behind the work back at Vatican Radio.

Whilst attention was focused on World Youth Day, every event was filmed by Vatican Television and beamed back to Rome. In every language section (and there are 40) of Vatican Radio, television monitors made it possible for journalists to prepare radio reports. Each of the Pope’s messages appeared under embargo and in several languages on the intranet. In fact, although separated by many miles, Vatican Radio staff, who had travelled to Cologne, did their best to send up-to-the minute reports in spite of sometimes very difficult circumstances.

Then, suddenly, World Youth Day was over and Pope Benedict was on his way back to Castel Gandolfo. He would have been justified in resting, but he chose to keep on working at an amazing pace for a 78 year-old in the heat of an Italian August. The helicopter brought him back to St. Peter’s for the Wednesday General Audiences. He met the Iraqi Foreign Minister, the new Venezuelan Ambassador to the Holy See and a host of other dignitaries. Rumour has it that he’s relaxing by writing another book!

Still, crossing the piazza of St. Peter’s one morning, there was a homely touch to the scene as I glanced up towards the papal apartments. To my surprise, I could see the windows open and scaffolding on the inside. Outside and around the corner, a suspended cradle held workmen, doing what, I couldn’t see. There’s a bit of decorating going on whilst the Pope was away from home.

As from Monday 29th August, Rome, which was deserted by the Italians during the summer, found itself repopulated. Tourists suddenly remembered their children of school age, disappearing in the direction of the airports and train terminals. Bus drivers discovered that they were not driving elongated taxicabs and resorted to a more sedate pace than their summer speed. It once more takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the 23 bus to travel from St. Paul’s basilica to St. Peter’s instead of the recent 8 minute journey. Vacant seats on buses and trains have disappeared until next July. All of a sudden, road works reappeared to reinstate Rome’s essential traffic chaos. Ambulances, police cars and fire engines rediscovered their sirens for use at all hours of the day and night. There’s a lovely sense of Romans coming home to Rome….that is, until July next year, when the exodus will happen all over again!