St Paul

Yesterday we went to First Vespers of the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, held at St Paul outside the Walls. This celebration opened the Year of St Paul. It was presided over by the Pope, along with the new Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bartholomew I, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowen Williams, had a significant role. Given the procession in I would think there were quite a number of other church leaders. It certainly was an ecumenical event.
Vespers was very good but ‘papal circus’ appalling, more on that later. St Paul’s holds 10,000 people seated and the place was well and truly full. We were each given a booklet and the service was sung between cantors, choir and people. The book gave the music for the people so we could truly sing. It was in Latin and Italian, with prayers of intercession spoken in other languages. The reading, the opening of Romans, was read by the Patriarch in Greek. Given the congregation, the singing was quite good. There was an interesting way of chanting psalms and canticles, alternating Gregorian chant and polyphony between the verses. It was very well sung. The polyphony very elaborate. Personally I didn’t like the alteration but that’s just me. I could see how it was one way to have the people sing and have extraordinary religious song as well. So, for that, it worked very well. Of course we couldn’t understand the Pope’s homily or the Patriarch’s address as both were done in Italian. Italian has really replaced Latin as the working language of the church here. Mmmm, interesting implications.
It was a appallingly hot day. We had to wait outside for well over an hour, thank God, under a row of shady trees (and there aren’t too many shade trees in Rome). A lane of traffic lined with these trees had been closed for the event. The organization was very good. We have to get tickets beforehand, barriers were all in place, the people were told the time we were to be let in. The police, etc were very much in force, sniffer dogs doing the rounds beforehand, a helicopter overhead, (though it couldn’t be heard in the church). And, of course, ambulances waiting. I didn’t see it but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were used. The seating in the church (as at St Peter’s) is so organized that if there was a medical emergency, the ambulance people could get in fairly quickly – amazing for Italy. I was told that at the Papal Mass today, which is about 2 ½ hours long, bottles of cold water will probably be handed out to the people as they come in. Preventative treatment.
Aside on medical emergencies - We were present when a man had a severe fit at the Vatican Museums and it took no more than seven minutes for a doctor and ambulance services to arrive. Later I was present when a woman seemed to have a heart attack in a shop near the Vatican but in Italy and well over 20 minutes later there was no sign of the ambulance.
Now to the Papal circus. I really wonder why some people came to Vespers. We were there to worship God, not the Pope. During the litany, which was sung for the entrance, there were excessive scenes of adulations for the Pope while the service was ignored. I never thought I would hear ululating in church, and that for a human person. As at the Papal audience, the ones who indulged in this behaviour were the ones who chatted not only though the prayers but also in the Pope’s homily. At the audience, one priest who began a chant “Viva La Papa” when the Pope arrived spent the time of the Pope’s homily making mobile calls to what sounded like his friends. I do get the impression, that this pope is trying to wind done some of the excessive behaviour. Officials, quietly but firmly moved through the congregation, getting people off their chairs etc.
Enough for now. I still hope to write up Monte Cassino but I must tell you about the trip to the seaside. It was wonderful, wonderful. Most of the people on the program rarely see the sea and two, before this time, had NEVER seen the sea, one sister was 70 years old. So the two hours we had a Sperlonga were so full emotionally, that the heat and the climb of 157 steps just added to the joy.