“The Capitulars, periti, and all the Chapter workers (translators, musicians, etc.) went to the Vatican today to participate in the weekly audience of Pope Benedict XVI. We left the Collegio at 8:00 and arrived at the Vatican at 9:00. We were in the Paul VI audience hall by 9:20. The pope arrived at 10:30. So it was a morning of waiting. John Lager was at the audience, too, with his “classmates” from the North American College. Four buses and two vans took us all to the Vatican where we walked to the audience hall. Peter Meis carried and displayed the Papua New Guinea flag in the hopes that he would find someone else from PNG at the audience. When we finally arrived in the hall, we found John Lager with his group. But then, finally, the pope arrived and we all cheered and applauded. Cameras flashed from everywhere. There was a reading from the Book of Revelation in several languages after which the pope delivered his homily. He was then “greeted” by various groups and read a prepared text for each group. We were one of the groups recognized. After the audience we all returned to our buses on the Via Conciliacione and returned to the Collegio for lunch. But first we passed through St. Peter’s Square on the way to the busses.”