Vatican City, 15 June 2013: This weekend, Rome will have a unique soundtrack coming
from the roaring pistons of some 35,000 Harly-Davidsons that have begun to invade
the capital for the 110th anniversary celebrations of the American motorcycle
maker's founding.
There is also room for faith among the rumbling engines,
leather jackets, and elaborate tattoos. Events began early on Friday morning with
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, offering Mass in St.
Peter's Basilica for two thousand of the participants. Also, 1,400 bikes with their
riders will be blessed by Pope Francis at the Sunday Angelus as the Via della Conciliazione
leading up to the square becomes a parade route for the motorcyclists. St. Peter's
Square will welcome all the other Harley-Davidson riders and enthusiasts—on foot—who
didn't win a ticket for their bike. Source: VIS