The Pope never showed his superiority, never made problems. I saw it every day, because literally the entire world was passing through our elevator…
I was very impressed by Fidel Castro’s visit. It was 1996. Castro literally looked forward to meeting the Pope. In the elevator, he was constantly nervously correcting his clothes, repeating to himself the words he wanted to tell John Paul II. I remember his huge orthopedic shoes. I think that he had shoe size number 45 or 46. He was moving balance from one leg to the other before we reached the third floor, the apartment. Maybe to some he seemed tough, rude, but he was a man of high culture. Later in the afternoon I waited to accompany him as he visited the Sistine Chapel. He came at fifteen. There was also an interpreter and a guide. The latter at the end told me only quietly that he did not have to add anything, because Castro knew all the details about this work of art. He was perfectly prepared.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi “It happened in the Vatican”
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
Pages: 44 – 45
