For the last five years of John Paul II’s life, I was delegated exclusively to him and his loved ones. I continued to start work as before, I came to the office in Autoparco at seven o’clock in the morning, signed various documents, dealt with other small matters, and then from eight o’clock I remained in the service of the Papal apartment. Most often, Father Stanisław Dziwisz immediately called and sent me, for example, for special guests whom I was to bring to a private meeting with the Holy Father, or Sister Tobiana, the Superior of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of the Papal Household, asked me for errands. Every day, dairy products from the Papal farm in Castel Gandolfo were brought to the Vatican in a small van by one driver, always the same one, who delivered the goods to the grocery store and directly to the courtyard at the Papal apartment. However, when it happened that something was missing or there was some other thing to do, I took matters into my own hands. I had absolutely unregulated working time. Often, guests who came to dinner with the Holy Father – whether they were Bishops, other priests or lay people – had to be taken after dinner to the place where they stayed in Rome and this was my responsibility to take care of their transport.
I was also responsible for the technical condition of all the vehicles with which I drove the Pope, which was directly related to his safety.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi “It happened in the Vatican”
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
Pages: 239 – 240
