(…) the papamobiles used by John Paul II remained in the Vatican. They are still a tangible expression of history. The one in which the Pope was shot, or – in a much later period – others which were silent witnesses of his suffering. Properly transformed, adapted to the needs of the body and the physical capabilities of the increasingly weak Holy Father.
– I remember one of the celebrations in the Jubilee Year 2000. At that time, I was transporting John Paul II in a specially prepared papamobile, a small jeep, to which it was easier to put him in. There was a special chair installed there, which was invented by engineer Sagretti, so as to make it easier to get into the car. We also moved the Pope’s special handle towards the back of the car to make it easier for him to lean on and hold.
The Pope was already sitting in the car dressed in a chasuble, ready for the great ceremony on the St. Peter’s Square. Father Stanisław Dziwisz sat next to him, and Angelo Gugel took his place next to me. We drove in, as usual, from the side of the Bell Gate. It was an important beatification; several presidents arrived, including the president of Poland – Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Usually, when the celebration was about to begin, we turned under the statue of St. Peter immediately to the left, then I drove towards the altar uphill and there the Pope would get off to start the ceremony. That day, however, he decided otherwise. He really wanted to drive between the sectors right away; he was particularly cheerful and enthusiastic at the time. He wanted to be among the crowds of believers who cheered and chanted his name. However, individual sectors were fenced with barriers; neither the Vatican Gendarmerie nor the Swiss Guard predicted that the Pope would want to enter among the people before the ceremony began.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi “It happened in the Vatican”
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
Pages: 247-249
