The conclave door was finally opened, and the “Marshal”, Marquis Giulio Sacchetti, led me to the place where the Holy Father had dinner with all the members of the College of Cardinals. As I entered, Cardinal Camerlengo Jean Villot stood up and introduced me with a smile to the new Pope. It was such an ordinary meeting, and yet it aroused great emotions in me. He watched me, probably trying to guess what I felt seeing him in a new robe. He didn’t say a word. And, yet his gaze spoke to me, the gaze that always has been so moving. In front of me I had the Pope, the Pastor of the universal Church. At this point, I realized that he is no longer Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, but John Paul II, Successor of St. Peter. Then he came closer and spoke. Two, three sentences full of characteristic wit made my emotions go away and I again saw in him a man I knew. He spoke of the Cardinals and of his great surprise that they had chosen him. He wanted to say, “What did they do?” This is my interpretation of his words. (…) After the supper, the Holy Father returned to his room in a small apartment of the Secretary of State’s apartment, which he shared with the Metropolitan of Naples, Corrado Ursi. They knew each other very well and together they received the Cardinal’s nomination. It was there, in this room, that the new Pope began his ministry. He began to prepare a homily for the next day, which was to be delivered in Latin.
With the consent of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “Testimony”.
TBA marketing communication Publishing House. Warsaw 2007
