Bethan: The Pope arrives in Madrid! We were very excited, waited in the hot, hot sun, conversed in rubbish French (me) or very loud English (Fr Victor) with a large group from France, congratulated Mexicans on getting there early and being right at the front....and then the Pope never came - what is known in Holy Innocents as the "Nicole Barber Experience" can know be known as our experience too :-(
Very disappointed, but what a wonderful atmosphere anyway! And watching 30 french people dance the macarena whilst Fr Victor led Marcus and James in the Rosary has to have been worth it!
Marcus: BENEDICTO...clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, BENEDICTO..... (ad infinitum)
On Thursday the main event was the arrival of the Pope in Madrid. The main square for the Papal arrival was full about 5 hours before the Pope arrived! So we strategically took up a place in an adjacent square in front of a big screen and in front of one of the routes for the Popemobile. We spent a long time crammed in waiting for the ceremonies to begin and passed the time by chatting with those around us and getting into the carnival like atmosphere. This included some lovely French people and some very excited Mexicans who were very much into the party atmosphere and were happy to lead the dancing of the Macarena. The recitation of the Rosary by certain committed pilgrims whilst said Macarena was going on all around us was definitely a first for me!
Sadly our strategic position at the front of the barriers (literally 5 metres away from an imminent papal cavalcade) was in vain as the Pope's route around the streets of Madrid was cut short as things were running behind schedule. But we all agreed that the whole service and the time spent with our fellow pilgims was truly special. Plus we had a bird's eye view of Deacon James Bradley from the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (he recently preached at Holy Innocents' on Good Shepherd Sunday) who read the gospel at the Papal welcome ceremony - what a small world it is.
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