One day, the king of Saudi Arabia was to arrive. Usually, heads of state are received between nine thirty and ten o’clock – this is when the official part of the audience begins. Literally a few minutes before the scheduled meeting, the Saudi ambassador to the Holy See ran to the Prefaces of the Papal House with the information that the king could not come, because suddenly he had to take care of other important duties. In fact, the king refused an audience with the Pope! I took the Prefect upstairs to the secretary of the Holy Father, and the prefect informed Father Dziwisz that the ruler would not come. The Holy Father reacted with the words: “Of course, no problem”. I remember that everyone had dispersed, the entire great security – the gentiluomini di Sua Santità; the Swiss Guard – had enlisted from the Courtyard of Saint Damasus, and soon after the preparations for the ceremony there was no trace. Shortly before noon, the Saudi ambassador returned to the Prefect to announce that the king now has time and can come. The Holy Father replied again without blinking: “Well, of course, I am waiting.” Everything was once again organized in the courtyard as two hours earlier, and after fifteen minutes the king arrived.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi “It happened in the Vatican”
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
pages: 43 – 44
