Good Friday Mass at St Peter’s Square

After the cat sanctuary, I looked around for a gift for David and Jeannie, explored a farmer’s market, and then I went back to their apartment. The streets were especially busy with tourists, and I was tired from having to deal with the crowds. However, because it was Good Friday, I contemplated going to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican for their 5pm mass, but the thought of dealing with crowds was a little daunting. At David’s apartment, we checked out the Vatican’s live webcam and saw that the crowd was astonishingly light. I decided then to walk to St Peter’s Square and watch the livestream of the mass from there.

The walk to the Vatican took 20 minutes. The crowds were indeed manageable, and I happily parked myself in front of one of the screens and watched the proceedings - which were streamed live from nearby St Peter’s Basilica - and their ritual and solemnity.

Like almost everyone else around the world, I was stunned when the white smoke billowed from the Vatican chimney and word got out that they elected an American to the papacy. Truth be told, I was tickled more than anything else as my initial research indicated that Robert Prevost was even more progressive than Pope Francis, and I took this to be a big middle finger to Trump. Who would have thought that the Catholic Church would move to the left while the US moved hard right? Regardless, Pope Leo XIV has grown on me and I was more than happy to observe this mass despite my odd history with organized religion.

I left the Vatican just before 7pm and met David and Jeannie for dinner at a lovely restaurant on the banks of the Tiber, a perfect end to my journey.Read more