Pope and I by Jerzy Kluger

Author:Jerzy Kluger [Kluger, Jerzy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orbis Books
Published: 2012-10-05T08:35:02+00:00

CHAPTER 13

LUNCH WITH THE POPE

S

ome of the comments my friend made could be explained by invitations that I had received in the months following the election of John Paul II to go to the Vatican for lunch. The careful scheduling of these meetings had always been the job of Fr. Stanisław Dziwisz, who had been Karol Wojtyła's personal secretary for more than a decade, and who was confirmed in his post after Wojtyła became pope. The first time I received a telephone call informing me that the pope wanted me to be his guest at lunch the following day, I was far from indifferent.

"Please tell His Holiness that it is an honor for me to sit at his table," I had said, embarrassed but glowing. I was told how to get to the pope's residence in the old palace of Sixtus V, at the Vatican.

"Of course, of course, I'll be there," I said quickly, not feeling the need to get directions. The Vatican is a state, I thought, but it's not all that big, so it should be enough just to ask at the entrance.

The following day, a few minutes before noon, I headed up the Via della Conciliazione, the wide roadway leading from the Tiber to Saint Peter's, the imposing basilica that makes an impressive sight for any onlooker. When I reached the square, I drove down the left side of the colonnade, following the route I had taken to go to Poland's farewell ceremony for the pope in the Paul VI hall. When I arrived at the Ingresso del Petriano, the Swiss Guards crossed their halberds in front of me. I introduced myself enthusiastically.

"I'm the engineer Jerzy Kluger. I'm here to have lunch with the pope. Could you please tell me which way I need to go?"

They looked at me with disbelief and suspicion from beneath their black berets. After asking me for identification, one of them disappeared into the booth. A few minutes passed, and I looked at my watch. I was going to be late. Finally, the guard returned.

"You've come the wrong way. You need to go through the Porta Sant'Anna. That's where your name was left."

"And where is the Porta Sant'Anna?" I asked.

"It's on the other side of the colonnade, after the Passetto di Borgo, on Via di Porta Angelica. You need to go back."

"But I'm going to be late!" I'm sure my distress was written on my face.

The guard gave my identification back to me, then gestured for me to wait a moment. He went back into the booth and came out almost immediately with a man who must have been another Swiss Guard, but his uniform was all blue, instead of the typical blue, red, and orange. He told me that he would go with me to the Holy Father's residence without making me turn around. I thanked him profusely as he got into the car, then followed his directions.

We passed the Piazza del Sant'Uffizio, taking a street with the Paul VI hall on the left and the Collegio and Camposanto Teutonico on the right.

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