Pop( e) star in DC
Our columnist braved the crowds to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis during an all- too- brief parade.
I WAS reminded of Pope Francis’ visit to DC by a life- size ( and incredibly life- like) cut- out of him that had actually scared the bejesus out of me, two weekends before his arrival.
We’d just entered our church’s dimly lit foyer when my peripheral vision registered a white figure to my left. Upon turning, I squeaked at the sight of the Pope holding out his hand to me!
Turned out it was a promo cutout announcing his impending visit and offering parishioners the chance to “Walk with Francis”, whereby individuals and churches pledge to emulate the Pope in devoting themselves to prayer, service or action.
Admittedly, my mind wandered during that particular Mass, as I plotted when and where I could get the best vantage point to glimpse the Pope. I scoured the Washington Post daily to get updates on his tight schedule, which up until then hadn’t included a parade.
Then ( hallelujah!), it was announced that he would indeed make a brief public appearance on Sept 23 after his visit to the White House. Despite being generally averse to crowds in DC, I was keen to go.
After all, this is the “precedent shattering Pope” who, upon his election in 2013, broke with tradition in his opening statement, and asked people to pray for him.
( In DC, he eschewed a flashy, armoured SUV for a Fiat 500L to travel around the nation’s capital, and declined to dine with politicians, choosing instead to spend an afternoon with DC’s homeless.) The fact that his US itinerary included addressing Congress in DC and the UN in New York about climate change ( among others) sealed it for me.
Yet, I initially failed to galvanise any Pope- scoping kaki. Until Yen, a new Malaysian friend here, texted to ask if I still planned to go see him.
Her mum, Aunty Siew Nee who was visiting from Teluk Intan, had apparently expressed interest in going too, since “this is a once- in- alifetime opportunity”.
We all agreed, however, that we were not that berkobar- kobar to queue at the gates at 4am. Yes, you read right. Gates opened at 4am and closed at 10am, a full hour before the Pope’s scheduled parade at 11am. Furthermore, for security reasons, people had to remain penned in until noon.
So, we agreed to meet at the “godlier” hour of 8am and walk down together to the parade area and try our luck. If the place appeared crowded with over- enthusiastic fans, then we’d just go have coffee somewhere and maybe watch it “live” on CNN.
So, the evening before, I embarked on a solo scoping mission. Two officers, with “Secret Service”’ emblazoned across their flak jackets, who were standing guard outside the north wing of the White House, told me which streets would remain open to pedestrians. Armed with this knowledge, I circled the Pope’s planned parade route, headed home and turned in early.
On the day, all the main streets leading to the White House and National Mall ( where the parade would be held) were festooned with American and Vatican City flags. Even street vendors peddled miniature Vatican City flags besides various t- shirts featuring the Pope’s smiling face.
National Guard personnel kept close watch over the crowd. As we approached a security checkpoint, three men holding up large placards briefly distracted me. One of the placards read, “Roman Catholicism is of the devil. It will send you to hell.” Meanwhile, a man spoke on a hailer, listing all the wrongs wrought by the Catholic Church.
( Interestingly, people hardly paid them heed. In fact, when the crowds exited the area after the parade and spotted them, some merely chanted “Francisco, Francisco!” while one lady approached the speaker and said, “It doesn’t matter, he loves you anyway.” No fisticuffs – just freedom of expression both ways.)
We had our bags checked for banned items including water and foodstuff, after which we were allowed in. Crowd control was indeed commendable and we eventually found a pretty good vantage point just behind an enclosure reserved for the disabled and elderly.
Thus began our almost two- and- a- half hour wait. The mainly Latin American crowd was in high spirits. Standing in front of us were two Peruvian sisters and a couple visiting from Panama. Further down, a gentleman in a cowboy hat held up a placard that read, “Dear Pope Francis, immigration reform was blocked by the Republican Party as way to oppress Latino people in the United States.”
Political differences aside, there wasn’t any jostling and everyone good- naturedly “chope- d” each other’s spots whenever someone needed to nip to the loo. Helicopters circled overhead, while chirpier police officers sometimes roused the crowd with, “Are you ready for the Pope?” to which people enthusiastically responded, “Yes!”
Anticipation mounted as 11am approached and then as the outriders of his motorcade came down the road, the crowd erupted into screams and chants of “Francisco, Francisco!” with everyone trying to get the Pope to glance their way.
It was like a scene out of a rock concert. People/ fans ran within their perimeters alongside the Popemobile, to photograph or video the man with the kindly smile and an affinity for babies. I admit I, too, ran like a deranged fan! It was indeed a once- in- a- lifetime experience, and one that definitely tops my list of DC highlights to date.
And yes, I couldn’t help sneak a photo with the Pope cut- out after Mass the following weekend. Not only do I now have a three- minute video of him, I’m pretty thrilled by our “wefie” too!