Karol Wojtyła often fooled us, and he managed to do it best once in Castel Gandolfo. We were sitting on a beautiful square in front of the palace, having paid a lot for coffee and Coke, and we were waiting for the Pope to appear. We all knew that during vacations he sometimes left the palace to walk. From time to time, large, luxurious cars drove through the gate. We jumped to our feet, trying to spot the Pope, but there was always one of the Cardinals or Bishops sitting inside. It was a really exciting experience when all these gems glided slowly into the courtyard of Castel Gandolfo. Not only because every time we expected a Pope in one of them, but also because the gate leading to the palace courtyard was extremely narrow and you need a lot of skills to drive through it without scratching the body. As soon as another limousine left the palace, the photographers immediately pressed the shutters. Secretary of State, Angelo Sodano, often sat in such a luxury car, using a blue Mercedes S. (…) Although we were guarding in front of the palace like hunting dogs and just in case the second team was waiting at the side exit from Castel Gandolfo, we never managed to cover the Pope leaving. We began to suspect that maybe he gave up walking, although his passions would contradict it. He loved the mountains and it was unthinkable that he could spend his holidays without climbing at least one peak. Meanwhile, standing at Castel Gandolfo, we never noticed a small car entering and leaving the palace. There was always a monsignor next to the driver, holding a newspaper in front of him. It never occurred to us that he was hiding the face of John Paul II crouched in the back seat. As you can see, Karol Wojtyła preferred to use luxury limousines for his Cardinals.
Andreas English
Miracles of Saint John Paul II. WAM Publishing House. Jesuit priests. Cracow 2015
