Someone told me once that the Pope is the most powerful person in the world and that the Vatican is the most powerful country. I think it might be true now. A man who can bring together millions of faithful sons in a European city in two days and the world's most powerful political leaders in a square must be a very strong person. People left Poland, took a bus for 30 hours to get to Rome, and waited in line for more than 13 hours (some for 24 hours!) to see his dead body. People passed out in the line, and some had to deal with the hot sun during the day and the cold wind at night. Some blankets, a sandwich, some cookies, and some bottles of water were given by the Italian first aid forces. People couldn't leave the line. The only place they could go was to the bathroom, which was on the track. I could see the desperation in the eyes of the people who were told, after waiting in line for 8 hours, that they would never get to see the Pope because the line was too long. I used the word "mighty," but what does it mean? How strong? He was strong in politics, in his feelings, and in his faith. I must have done it to myself to prove it. I was there when he died on Saturday, February 2. I was there, and I will always be a neo-pagan. As a European and a neo-pagan, I thought I had to respect my enemy, a strong enemy and a great man, even though I didn't agree with most of what he said. For example, he promoted leaving man in Christ's hands, multiculturalism, and dangerous friendships. But he was great because everything he did was done with courage, mission, and skill. I felt like I had to stay there that afternoon, close to an old man I used to know who was dying. He was a proud enemy who had fought me in the past and would continue to fight me in the future. I just wanted to be with him and comfort him when he was in pain. Young boys and girls the same age as me were singing and yelling his name loudly. They each held a picture and a candle. I left S. Peter's Square at 21 to get something to eat, just a few minutes before John Paul II died. I was going to go home, but when I heard about his death on TV at 22 (the Pope died at 21:37), my mom called me on my cell phone, and I went back to S. Peter's Square. I thought people were leaving the square because I saw a lot of them walk away toward St. Peter's, but when I went back, I saw that people were coming in from all directions and praying in the square. I decided to stay and join in the rosary and the Christians' suffering. The same young people I saw in the afternoon left candles on the ground in the shape of crosses. People around them were crying. Others sang together church songs that I used to sing when I was young and went to the nuns' school. The crowd bought a lot of copies of "Osservatore Romano," a newspaper from the Vatican. It was 12 o'clock. People now collect that issue, and it is still for sale. John Paul II is powerful in every way. Who can get all these reporters who came to St. Peter's Square and Rome to write about this man's life history together? A black man from an African TV station started to film me for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 minutes. I kept quiet. I wanted to tell him, "Hey, man, I think I'm the only one here who isn't a Christian." The funeral is happening today. I'm looking at pictures of my home city Rome that were taken from a helicopter, and I don't recognise it! Around St. Peter's Basilica, the streets near the Tiber are full of people. Red and white flags from Poland and yellow and white flags from the Vatican were chosen to show the universality of the Church about 2,000 years ago. At that time, paganism was being put down. I feel like I've lived through hundreds of years, and now I'm seeing the ages change right in front of my eyes. This Pope made a big difference. This Pope won the hearts of the people by using planes, boats, computers, TVs, and music, among other things. He spoke to the kids for the first time. He spoke to the Jew for the first time. He's been like a family member to a lot of people. I went to the service. It was grand and grandiose, but I wasn't interested. I was impressed by journalist Bruno Vespa's choked voice as he talked about the event. I've always thought of him as a rock, but today he cried as he spoke.
How will the Church and its members now welcome the new Pope? Who will replace Pope Francis? Everyone says he will be from South America and will fight against capitalism in the United States. People there are poor and angry, so not everywhere is safe. Fighting capitalism in these countries means also fighting it in North America. However, capitalism has never persecuted the Church in North America, where there are many different churches, so the Vatican could cause a split. It's a complicated situation that I don't understand because I don't know much about the history, and from a religious point of view, Christianity is not so old in South America. There are worse places, though. I think the Church needs to choose another strong person to be the Pope. If they don't, no one will ever listen to him, since John Paul II was so well-known and loved by Christians. Karol Wojtyla faced the real problem for the Church of Communism in Eastern Europe. He had been shot, so the problem was real. I think the Church should go to the Middle East if it wants to stay alive. Why not a Pope from Lebanon, Iraq, or Afghanistan? A Crusader Pope!
At the very start of his time as pope, John Paul II told his followers to let Christ in. Still, people listen to what he says and offer peace to everyone (Christ is the first "brother" you meet). They do this out of faith and without thinking about the risks of this "free peace." I'm a heathen, and I think the Christian faith is a blind serenity (I hope this doesn't offend anyone). From the outside, I still don't understand why people in Europe choose to be Christian, but as a heathen, I've learned that when someone offers you a blessing with good intentions, you should accept it. It won't change who you are, if you don't want it to, but it will make you a better person. I ended up at Westminster Cathedral in London because my mother wanted to go there. I saw a group of black women who were there for mass. It was time to exchange blessings and peace. One of them called me and said, "Come on, come here!" I realised that I was giving in to prejudice, which I think is one of the worst mistakes a racist can make. I think that a racialist should be smart but should never be biassed. I don't know what that black woman was thinking, but these were mine (they were probably different than hers) when I decided to give her my hand and try to tell her: "As a way for us to talk, this is my hand. In peace and war, I want to be respected, and I want to respect you. True rules between us." Pope John Paul II was a strong leader who was able to bring people of all nationalities and races together under one god. However, there are people in Europe like me who want to keep our own identities, which is incompatible with the Church and with Christianity.
My last question is this: How long will this Church structure last? "When a Pope dies, another is done," old women say... forever?
