Rome Day One: A Last Minute Journey To Honor Pope Francis A Holy, Humble And Great Man

It was  expected. But it was still sad to hear the news. Pope Francis passed away early Monday morning shortly after celebrating Easter Sunday with the people he loved. 

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I was blessed to be in St. Peter’s Square when the white smoke wafted into the dark, rainy and cold skies over Rome. I watched this humble man walked out of the Vatican and address his Catholic followers,, and all the people who share this small planet we call Earth

I attended his inauguration mass on a sunny Spring day in Rome. It’s hard to believe this was 12 years ago. In my mind, it seems like yesterday. Pope Francis took the name of my patron Saint and his papacy followed his teaching. He preached acceptance of all of our fellow humans, including, prisoners, the poor , and immigrants. I loved him most for his fierce advocacy for the protection and stewardship of our natural environment. So I write these words in Terminal C of the Newark International Airport on Thursday evening, awaiting my flight to Rome to attend the Pope’s funeral Saturday.

Well, it is now early Monday morning and I was blessed , honored and humbled to have paid my respects and attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis on Saturday. It was an emotional and spiritual experience. More on that later, now on my  last minute travel to Rome. . It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon I decided to attend the funeral of the Pope in  Rome. It was a hectic two days making travel arrangements and rescheduling appointments at my law office. But I did it, and I was  enjoying the  the two hour drive  to the Newark airport on a sunny Thursday afternoon . Traffic was light and it was a pleasant and reflective drive.

I arrived at the Newark Hilton Hotel where I parked my Jeep and took the shuttle to the airport terminal C. I will be staying at the hotel on my return.

I had my first encounter with one of the many friends I would make on this trip. My driver was Percy  a large , talkative black man,. He was my age, we were both born in the same year.  I was the only passenger and we had a wonderful conversation about, life, aging and his  only daughter he loved. He  likes to talk too, and he  was proud of it. He related a wonderful  story about how he received complimentary tickets to the Israel National Philharmonic Orchestra. He  was expecting seats in the back but was surprised to be taken to front row seats. He said he thought he was the only black person in the concert hall.  There was much more to the story. It was a wonderful story  from a man two months  younger than me who loves life and his daughter.

Percy  dropped me off at the airport, and we both expressed our hopes we meet again. I was early for my flight and quickly passed through security with my TSA pre-check. 

I was a little hungry and  looked for a restaurant with something quick and light to eat.   I found   restaurant, the Wabi Sabi,  that displayed delicious  looking food on their menu.  I was fooled.  I had the worse shrimp  pad Thai I had ever eaten.  The  noodles were soggy, the  shrimp were few and overcooked.  and  sauce  was like a bland  tomato bases sauce, more like ketchup.  It was not pad Thai and it was now very good.  I regretfully ate some  of it.  Such a difference from my last airport meal at the Giraffe in London where I had a delicious meal . But this happens when you travel. After my  unappetizing meal I made my way to my gate.

I then made my way to the gate, enjoying my people watching along the way. I sat near my gate.

I started  writing this blog  as I waited for  my flight.

 I  boarded the plane and settled in my seat as it was getting dark outside.

We soon were in the air after a short delay, and I looked at the lights of  New York as we took off into the night sky. I don’t like to talk with people on a plane when I travel . You never know the personality of that person.  And,  if it is a personality that is not  compatible it can make for a long and disagreeable flight. However, by  chance, the gentleman next ot me began to talk, and met the  second of  eight  people I would befriend on my travels  to Rome. Jorge  was a most interesting gentlemen, my agee, he also was from Pennsylvania.  He was  the chairman of a charitable organization in Cuba.  He  knew Jimmy Buffet, Michael Jackson and many other notable people including  Pope Francis.  He was also the proud father of three children. Needless to say I had a most interesting conversation until our meal was served and we both decided to  get some sleep.

Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep much, dozing off occasionally  but doing more fidgeting than sleeping. I wasn’t excited to see the orange light of the rising sun on the horizon.  I knew for certain I wasn’t going to much  sleep.

We were served a second meal as we flew over France and the scenic  snow covered peaks of the Alps.  I remembered  vividly my excitement I experienced the first  time I flew over  the Alps. It was my first time in a jet when I traveled to Medjugorje in Yugoslavia with my mom.  She was very devoted to The Virgin Mary and I took her to  the Shrine there. It was a wonderful trip.    I  soon continued my conversation with Jorge  which passed the time quickly.

We were soon flying over Italy,

and landing  at the busy Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport.

I was surprised how quickly we passed through customs

and I was soon  outside the airport looking for tickets to take the  high speed train into Rome.  The airport is about 30 miles outside of Rome and it is a 30 minute train ride to the Termini Train Station in central Rome.

I found the train station , purchased a ticket and was soon boarding a crowded train. Here ,  I meet my newest friends, a family of 3 from Manchester in England.   They, too, like me,  were of Polish descent.  We had a wonderful chat sitting on the four folding seats near the door of the train. The son lived and worked in the Mideast. He  had paid for the trip to Rome for his parents to celebrate his mother’s birthday. 

I watched the  changing landscape from the train  door. It changed from a green  rural countryside, to a more built up   suburban area,

and then, finally, to  the crowded and dirty city landscape of businesses   and apartment  buildings.

I said good bye to my new friends and made my way out of the modern and busy Termini train station,

 and  into the bright Rome sunshine. 

I walked, pulling my luggage,  through the busy station .

I soon was gaining seeing  the contrast of Rome , the ancient and the modern city.  Across from the modern train station were the ruins of  ancient  Baths of Diocletian.

A modern building I walked past  had large video screen   depicting images of Rome’s beloved Pope.

It was about  the 1/4 mile walk  to my hotel. I was staying at the Best Western hotel.  I chose this location since I had quick access to the Metro.  I  hoped to explore some of the parks in Rome after attending the Pope’s funeral.  I checked into my hotel,. It was  already a long day but I was soon back. and on the move again. I was heading to the Vatican. But more on that in my next blog. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from my travel to Rome to attend Pope Francis’s funeral. Rome Day One Travel April 24 2025.

“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.” Pope Francis 

“Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes.”   Pope Francis

“Let us care for one another and let us be loving custodians of creation.”  Pope Francis  (2nd Tweet as Pope)