And now, I have to say a few words about trips outside Rome, especially in the mountains in the Abruzzo region. The first one in early January 1981, was unforgettable, with the greatest adventures; four of us in a small car. Then, we had a lot of them, almost one hundred and fifty. First trips were in great secrecy. The Pope was buying tickets dressed as an ordinary skier and he stood in line among people to go to the top of the mountain. But, one day he was recognized, so we had to be accompanied by the Vatican police, the so-called “Vigilanza, and someone from the Italian Police Inspectorate at the Vatican. The Holy Father was skiing, he was eating with us then he was walking alone, devoting a few hours to talk to God.
And all this – contemplative prayer, constant entrustment to God, internal freedom, a lifestyle marked by poverty, but also full confidence in Providence, being with people, being like others, experiencing great and small everyday events of life – you see – all this was accurately reflected in the actions and words. Both experienced as a witness to the Gospel: God’s presence in history, in the concrete reality of today’s man….
At the permission of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz – “At the side of the Saint”
St. Stanislaus BM Publisher, Kraków 2013
