(…) February 16, 1987 we spent on the slopes in Ovindali. The Pope, who really loved snow and skiing, it was even his passion, could not resist trips to the mountains. There were many such trips. We have always prepared for them conscientiously: we informed the owners or managers of the slopes to prepare for the arrival of the Holy Father with all caution and discretion and to reserve some of the slopes exclusively at his disposal. In this way, John Paul II could freely devote himself to his hobby.
To tell the truth, the skiing trip to Ovindoli was not the first one of such trips. For, already in April 1986 the Holy Father went skiing to Campo Felice, but this April trip was very short, only for a few hours, so it was impossible to speak about the full satisfaction of skiers.
A few years passed and at the end of December 1990 our good priest Stanislaus, in response to the explicit requests of John Paul II, organized another skiing trip, again to Campo Felice. In order to avoid similar surprises that we had in Ovindola, we had previously agreed with the ski slope manager to close several routes for tourists and leave them exclusively at the disposal of the Pope. The owner of the lift then booked us a ski slope, which is called “Ski slope of lovers”. He also lent us a snowmobile so that we would not have to use lifts. For, there the Holy Father would certainly be recognized by other skiers. The owner of the lift himself stood at the head of our small group, in which, of course, the most important person was John Paul II. With him were two of his associates, who later turned out to be plainclothes policemen.
Enrico Marinelli * “The Pope and his General”
“Rafael” Publishing House
