(Vatican Radio) Sean-Patrick Lovett who heads the English Programme of Vatican Radio
is currently in Rio de Janeiro reporting on the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to
the Brazilian nation on the occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day.He places this
visit in continuity with the first such event which took place in Bergoglio's home
town...: Listen: Everyone
likes connections. Well, at least I do. They give me a sense of continuity and comprehension.
They help me see things in a broader context and to confirm that nothing happens by
chance and that, if you want to, you can find meaning even in minutia. Like the
fact of this being the first World Youth Day to be held in Latin America since the
first World Youth Day, which was held - in Latin America - 26 years ago. And the fact
that that Word Youth Day was held in Buenos Aires, which is the city of Pope Francis
– for whom this will be his first-ever World Youth Day…insofar as he has apparently
never attended a World Youth Day, anywhere before. Then there’s the fact that Pope
Francis “inherited” (so to speak) this appointment from his predecessor, Benedict
XVI – who “inherited” his first World Youth Day (Cologne 2005) from John Paul II.
And, if you want to take this whole connection thing even further, there’s the detail
that the WYD symbol in Portuguese reads “JMJ” – which is the English acronym for Jesus,
Mary and Joseph – which is the symbol that Pope Francis has emblazoned on his coat
of arms. But maybe that is taking connections a bit too far. Better to stick to
the facts. Like, how many of the people of Rio who stopped in their tracks alongside
the roadside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis as he drove by on his way
from the airport to the Cathedral, were disappointed. Not because the papal motorcade
didn’t proceed at a stately enough pace for them to see the smiling, waving Pope as
he passed, but because they were looking at the wrong car. He wasn’t in the black
limousine – he was in the hatchback utility vehicle. And there was no coincidence
about that either.