Pope Francis I | Musings from Rome

There is not much I can add to the wonderful night that just took place at St. Peter's. 

It was truly an extraordinary experience that was so presented so well by the CatholicTV Network.  The entire staff did an excellent job in bringing these events into your home.  It was truly a team effort. 

Please pray for Pope Francis I. May God guide him and protect him as he leads this Church we all love.

Your Friend,

Jay

Prepping for Conclave | Musings from Rome

Hello to all you blogolites. 

 

We had a surprise guest today here in Rome:  the sun!  It has been very cloudy and raining a great deal the past week so this was a welcome change.  I hope it lasts. 

 

Tim and I went to St. Peter's Square this morning to shoot some interviews and some promos.  On the way we bumped into Terry Donilon, the Secretary for Communications for the Archdiocese of Boston.  We have only seen Terry a couple of times because of his busy schedule and our schedule put us in different locations in the city.

Back to the square.  They are setting up for the election of a pope.  The Vatican has a lift truck that they used to install the curtains in the middles balcony where the new Holy Father will walk out from. 

 

 

















As I was watching the installation of the curtain I made my way over to the the beautiful statue of St. Peter holding the keys to the Church and was struck by the view of the balcony behind the statue.  It is striking to see the picture of St. Peter and behind him look at the balcony where the successor of Christ will walk out from:

The staff at the Vatican is huge in number.  They are buzzing around the square preparing.  They are only outnumbered by the security.  Here is a picture of the staff removing some of the barricades so they can put in chairs:

 

The number of press here is growing by the minute.  Some try to sneak into the square but they are quickly confronted and ushered out.  The press mostly line the gate that surrounds the square.  They actually are in the street and cars need to dodge them.  As I wrote in a previous post these are the best drivers in the world.  No horns, just quick turns and cuts in traffic.

It is an amazing day in Rome as the world prepares for the Conclave.  Stay with the CatholicTV Network and in particular Father Reed, Msgr. Maroney, Kevin Nelson, and me for exclusive coverage.  You can watch on CatholicTV.com, your iPhone/iPad or Android, Roku or GoogleTV.

 

Stay well,

Jay

Beauty Revealed | Musings from Rome

Hello to all my blog friends following our adventures in Rome!

Today Tim and I traveled to St Peter's square for an early morning interview. You'll be able to watch a video soon so stay tuned.

I love St. Peter's square. It is a blend of so many different people from around the world. By the time I left the square, the line to get into the Basilica stretched all the way around the colonnade to the other side. I felt like telling the pilgrims they had a LONG wait to get through to the metal detectors and security.

There are statues of the saints lining the colonnade. In the past few years the structures and statues have been cleaned due to the generosity of the Knights of Columbus. They look brand new. The Basilica had gotten so dirty over the centuries that it looked black instead of white and hid the beauty.

In fact, when they cleaned the area where the newly elected pope will walk out it revealed beautiful marble red columns and green marble above the door and on the side. At first people were outraged because they thought that the Vatican had painted those areas. What they did not know was that those were the original colors, and that they had been hidden by the grime over the centuries. Look to see if you notice it during coverage by CatholicTV!

That is all from Roma (that is my Italian).

Your friend,

Jay

Close Call | Musings from Rome

Last time I wrote you may remember that I was rushing to get to St. Peter's to do a live Skype interview with Father Reed and Kevin. It had been a very hectic day and time was not a luxury that I had. 

 

I would like to set the scene at St. Peter's.  It is swarming with pilgrims and tourists.  The surprising fact is that most of the people visiting are relatively young.  It's refreshing to witness so many people filled with their Catholic faith. 

 

Surrounding the square are the press.  Not just a few press people, but hundreds.  There have been over 5,000 press credentials given out for this event.  The press hover on the outskirts of the square, never crossing the invisible line to get inside.  They bounce around from one end to the other. 

 

If one does cross into the square they quickly are greeted by the ever present security.  The greeting is not pleasant but always brief.  It consists of a request for credentials, and if the press person does not have them, they are politely but firmly asked to leave. 

 

It's amazing how many security guards there are on the square.  Some drive in small cars, some are in uniform and on foot, and some are undercover. 

 

It was in this environment that I did my live feed inside the square.  I did it with my iPhone.  I held the phone out, arms length away, with St. Peter's behind me. 

 

As I did this security was swarming my area watching me closely.  My arms grew tired from holding the camera and I was fearful that I would be asked to leave during the interview.  If you watch the "This the Day" interview, you will see that I am looking around constantly. 

 

 

During the interview people could hear Fr. Reed and Kevin on my phone and could see me talking so some started to gather.  It was stressful, but fun!  That's all for now.  More to come later so stay tuned and I hope you keep reading. 

As an aside, as I've been writing this, an elderly Italian man keeps singing as he cleans the area I am in during these early am hours.  He is very happy this early in the morning and I have to admit that it put a smile on my face.

 

Stay well.

Your Friend,

Jay