Tuesday, July 29, 2014

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER - ST. PETERS SQUARE

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER
ST. PETERS SQUARE, VATICAN

We arrived early in St. Peters Square on a Sunday to participate in the Address of the Holy Father.  Pope Francis blessed the crowd from a Vatican window overlooking the Square.  The crowd began to form hours before the Pope spoke.  The excitement begins when the window above is opened and a red Papal cloth is placed over the window so it hangs below.   All eyes are on the cloth until the Pope appears to a huge roar of cheers.  This was a "chicken skin" moment for me and brought tears to my eyes.  To see the Pope and hear his voice was a surreal moment.  The blessing was done in Italian so we did not fully understand the message, but just being in St. Peters Square with Pope Francis was a gift of a lifetime.  Just a note:  Highly recommend you visit St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican early in the morning before the crowds.  Get there at 7:00 am when the doors open and you will have a much better experience than going at noon or later.  You can wait in line for hours just to enter St. Peters Basilica.  Arrive early and avoid the lines and experience the Basilica while it is uncrowded and quiet.  You will thank me for this tip!
Click links below to view posts on St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums:

WALL SURROUNDING THE VATICAN
ST. PETERS SQUARE
ST. PETERS BASILICA
THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS WHEN THE RED PAPAL CLOTH IS PLACED IN THE WINDOW
THE CROWD GROWS LARGER AS IT NEARS TIME FOR THE PAPAL ADDRESS
JUST MOMENTS AWAY FROM THE POPE COMING TO THE WINDOW
THE CROWD ERUPTS WITH CHEERS AND WAVES FLAGS AS POPE FRANCIS APPEARS IN WINDOW
POPE FRANCIS ADDRESSES THE PILGRIMS
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE TO SEE AND HEAR THE POPE
MY IPHONE CAMERA IN ZOOM MODE CAPTURES A BLURRY POPE FRANCIS
ST. PETERS SQUARE
CHICKEN SKIN MOMENT TO HAVE MY ROSARY BLESSED IN ST. PETERS SQUARE
POPE FRANCIS IN WINDOW

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