When news spread that Pope John Paul II would be beatified next first of May, I came away the memory of his first trip to Mexico in January 1979. It was at the Colegio Miguel Angel de la Colonia Florida (Federal District) when I met him.
That winter morning, met thousands of kids with their parents and teachers to await the arrival of the Holy Father to School. I remember wearing deep blue sky and there was a party atmosphere. I was in a crowd.
Children carried banners with various legends, such as: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," "You are Peter" ...
After a long wait, came in the Roman Pontiff and calmly and smiling, waved to the small . Then he climbed onto a balcony with his entourage and the school authorities. You will then be officially welcomed.
All wore on as planned, but when school rondalla Michelangelo Pope sang the popular song by Brazilian composer Roberto Carlos, "friends," said the Pope made comments which were with to him and his face reflected a great joy.
As had been given a folder containing the lyrics of this song in both English and Italian, to everyone's surprise, the end of the melody, John Paul II said (with difficulty, because they have not dominated the Castilian) he had touched this song and read some verses: "You are my soul mate, really the friend, that in any way and time are always with me (...) I remember we had a difficult time together, and you did not change by strong they were the winds. Is your heart an open house, you are really the true uncertain hours .... "
We talked about the value of friendship and how important it was to be really friendly in spite of adversity. The lyrics of that song was very beautiful and very grateful to the children of the rondalla that it had sung.
Whereupon, the school principal asked the band to return to play the same song and Pope followed with particular attention and taste.
Meanwhile, thousands of people wanted to go to school and there was no quota. So they packed the streets outside and the "popemobile" could not move back to the then Apostolic Delegation, which was within walking distance car. Then he asked a helicopter to land on the basketball courts. But to realize this operation, had to do several tests on the makeshift helipad.
Thus, the Pope spent more time than anticipated in this school. After I sang other songs and spoke a few brief speeches by students and teachers, he was invited to the Roman Pontiff to a snack.
A priest friend was with him in a private room with other clergy and executives. He told me later that they had just spend pleasant. He said he had called struck by the simplicity and naturally he had the Pope in his treatment. The Holy Father asked a lot about our country and Mexican customs.
Time to board the helicopter. When the Pope was heading towards him, my friend Mike and I got closer to greet us. We both knees, calculating the path where she was going to happen, and we took our respective rosaries.
something unexpected happened. As it was closer to us, Miguel began to mourn for the emotion "as Magdalena." I did prepare a few words to say to John Paul II, but my friend caught the mood and I felt a lump in my throat. Thought, was the first time I was in front of a pope! I could only look at him and ask his blessing. The smiling pope, providing that showed him my rosary, I just said
- Well, well!
blessed my rosary, I made a gesture paternal affection, with his hand on my head and then went and did the same with Michael. Then my friend was crying more intensely.
From this visit, the official song of the first trip of the Holy Father was very "Friend." The television and radio stations the repeated every day and every hour, when commenting on various news and anecdotes of the Pope's stay in our country. I remember I wrote
usually in "El Heraldo de Mexico." Jerome cartoonist, as a summary of that unforgettable papal visit was a carton where the Pope was sitting on the plane back to Rome, smiling, and one of the bags of white coat, had put the picture of the territory national and the headline: "He threw the bag into Mexico."
Next came other pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II to our country, but that first trip, I think that had a particular resonance that faith and hope we injected both Mexicans needed after spending decades in the harsh social, political and economic. And the theme to left a legacy and work, was that moving a sentence spoken in the Cathedral: "Mexico ever faithful!".
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