‘The mood was tremendously joyful and exhilarating’

Father James Bartoloma, a priest of the Diocese of Camden, was in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II on Sunday, May 1. Following are his observations of the day:

I was fortunate to get a ticket to be one of the priests who distributed Holy Communion at the beatification. This meant that I was able to be close to the altar with a great view. When I went into the Basilica to vest, the coffin of Pope John Paul II was already in front of the high altar where it would remain for the veneration of the faithful. At that point, access into the basilica was not yet open to the public.

I was privileged to pray before his remains. He was the pope that I had been familiar with for most of my life, and I thought about the times that I had been privileged to see him in person. The first time was in 1994 when I came to Rome on a high school trip; the last time was in 2004 when I was a priest and the Holy Father was unable to walk or speak clearly, but his tremendous presence and the message he preached continued to inspire and challenge.

I was flooded with memories of his many travels, his powerful writings that we studied while in the seminary, and how God worked so much good through him, both in the church and in the wider society as well.

I’ve never seen so many people at a Vatican ceremony. I could see a large monitor that was set up in the square, and I was amazed whenever a shot was shown from one of the helicopters flying above: the crowd stretched all the way down to the Tiber River and even wrapped around onto the roads adjacent to the Vatican. People wanted to be as close as they could, even just to hear the ceremony. There was no traffic allowed in most of Rome that morning so everyone had to either take a bus or walk to St. Peter’s.

I’ve also never heard so much Polish spoken in the city.

The forecast had originally called for rain but the weather was bright and sunny. Some people said it was through the intercession of Blessed Pope John Paul.

Out of all of the ceremonies I’ve attended in the Vatican, this one will always stand out the most. The mood was tremendously joyful and exhilarating. Pope Benedict, who is 84 and presided over so many long ceremonies during Holy Week, looked strong and energized. He was obviously as thrilled as everyone else in the crowds. Everyone clapped and cheered at different points when a cardinal read a brief biography of Pope John Paul and when Pope Benedict read the Latin formula of beatification. The people erupted into sustained applause and cheers at the end while they watched the banner with Blessed John Paul’s smiling image uncovered as it hung on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

What also struck me deeply was that when Pope Benedict gave his homily, he became slightly emotional toward the end when he reflected his relationship with Pope John Paul and the 23 years that he worked with him as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This was the first time that a pope had beatified his immediate predecessor. Pope Benedict had worked and collaborated with Blessed John Paul; they were friends and he was even in the room when Pope John Paul died, as well as later on presiding over the funeral Mass and the opening of the conclave which would elect him the next pope.

On the north side of the piazza, hanging between Bernini’s massive columns, were 27 banners for the years from 1978 through 2005 in which Blessed John Paul had reigned as pope. The first had an image of his election, the last of his funeral.

Looking at all of the images and years in between, I thought it was breathtaking to recall how long his pontificate was and how much had taken place within it: images of him meeting Mother Teresa; images of when he was shot in St. Peter’s Square in 1981; images of him meeting with world leaders who trusted and esteemed him and with simple faithful people who instinctively recognized the holiness of the man and how important it was to be close to the successor of St. Peter.

It was not easy reflect on each and every event and implication of such a long papacy within the span of a two-and-a-half hour beatification Mass. It was a joyful and exuberant day.