Witnessing history firsthand

As Pouya Gharavi exited St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday
morning, he spotted a candle displayed in one of the many memorials
that ornamented St. Peter’s Square. The fourth-year political
science and history student recognized the only white candle among
a group of red candles as one he had lit during a vigil at the
square days earlier. His candle was the only one left from the
original set that formed that particular memorial. Seeing his
candle still displayed after thousands had entered and left the
Vatican walls touched him, making him realize his participation in
the historical events taking place at the Vatican, Gharavi said.
The candle holder, which once shielded the flame Gharavi had lit,
now contained a handwritten letter by a little girl. Pope John Paul
II’s illness and death last Saturday has attracted massive
crowds within the past week to the Vatican, where mourners held
vigils and recited prayers. Like the note left in Gharavi’s
candle container, visitors to the Vatican left letters and arranged
children’s pictures around the square, Gharavi said. UCLA
students studying in Rome, like Gharavi, were among the masses that
congregated at the Vatican. For these students, completing an
education abroad program is turning a world news event into a
personal experience. “¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull; The morning Gharavi
spotted his candle, he had woken up at 4 a.m. and made the
less-than-five-minute walk from his apartment to the Vatican to
view John Paul II in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. But even
waking up at the crack of dawn did not prevent Gharavi from having
to stand in a lengthy line. He said he waited for two hours in a
line that inched ahead slowly. And the closer the crowd got to the
cathedral, the quieter it became, he added. Once inside, officials
ushered the crowd ahead quickly, making it difficult to register
the experience as it happened, Gharavi said. But taking a moment to
observe the crowd before exiting the cathedral, Gharavi said he
noticed people looking back to get one last glimpse of the pope.
“People just didn’t want to leave,” he said. This
visit to the Vatican was one of many Gharavi has made within the
past week. After hearing predictions on Friday night that the pope
was in his last hour, Gharavi and a group of friends joined the
masses that congregated in St. Peter’s Square. Gharavi,
referring to this night as “the epic night,” remained
at the square until late hours. He watched as cardinals delivered
an outdoor service and observed a crowd whose mood he said changed
from solemn to vibrant as the night wore on. Toward the early hours
of the morning, Gharavi said, the remaining crowd, predominantly
composed of young people, congregated in groups, singing, playing
the guitar and chanting, at times in different languages.
“They felt like (the pope) could hear them and so they kept
trying,” he said. Gharavi said the young people’s
enthusiasm and the love they felt for the pope surprised him.
“They are the ones that have so much energy,” he said.
Gharavi emphasized that he also observed an energetic mood in the
crowd at other religious services he attended at the Vatican.
“The emotions never die down,” he said. People had
scurried to the center of the square, Gharavi said, to get a quick
glimpse of the pope at a benediction on a Sunday in January, at
which Gharavi first saw the pope, and after Easter Mass.
“It’s like a rock concert at Woodstock,” he said.
Gharavi was among the crowd congregated in front of St.
Peter’s Basilica on Saturday night when news of the
pope’s death was made known to the crowd ““ about one
hour after news stations announced it. Positioned close to the
front of the crowd that faced St. Peter’s Basilica, Gharavi
said the cathedral bells, which signalled the pope’s death,
rang near him, making a noise he said he will never forget.
“You could hear it in your heart,” he said. “That
hit like thunder.” The bells hushed the tens of thousands
congregated in the square, he said, and initiated the ringing of
bells at different cathedrals in the city. That night, Gharavi,
like others, napped at the square. “Young people everywhere
were sleeping because they wanted to be there,” he said.
“I just wanted to be a part of that.”

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The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica, that announced the
pope’s death to Gharavi greeted Martha Jameson, a third-year
history student, when she first arrived in January at her Rome
apartment located right outside the entrance to the Vatican museum.
Hearing the ringing bells was what first made Jameson feel like she
had arrived in Rome, she said. Living right behind the Vatican as
the week’s events progressed and trying to be a part of them
while also continuing classes has made her experience abroad
surreal, Jameson said. Returning from a movie on Saturday night,
Jameson ““ who identified herself as a Catholic ““
noticed the masses congregated at the Vatican. Joining them she
realized what had happened. “I was just really shocked and
just really sad,” she said. A somber and solemn mood
characterized the crowd that prayed and lit candles in front of St.
Peter’s Basilica, Jameson said, who remained at the Vatican
for about an hour that night. Days later, she said, the people
continued to be solemn while also beginning to think about the
coming events that would determine the new leader of the Catholic
church. “It feels like something is missing from Rome,”
she said. Jameson emphasized that on the occasions that she saw the
pope at the Vatican, his love for the people was obvious. One week
after arriving in Rome, Jameson attended a benediction service at
which the pope addressed those in attendance. “The way that
he spoke, he totally captivated everybody in the audience,”
she said. “He loved the people and you could just see that
when you saw him.” Jameson also saw the pope during Easter
Mass, at which he attempted to speak despite his medical ailments.
He was determined to address the people, though all that was heard
was a slight whisper to the audience. The pope’s inability to
speak aroused emotional responses, Jameson said. “He wanted
to speak to his people. … You could tell he wanted to speak so
badly,” she added. As a history student, Jameson said, she
understands the historical significance of the events taking place
and feels privileged to be near the Vatican as historically founded
decisions are carried out in the process of picking and announcing
a new pope. Jameson said she plans to camp out tonight at the
Vatican in order to ensure being able to attend the pope’s
funeral on Friday.

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The tears of the people around him in St. Peter’s Square
and his limited understanding of Italian made Greenfield Lee
realize that the formal announcement made at the Vatican had just
announced the pope’s death. The third-year economics student
was among the crowd of people gathered at the Vatican on Saturday
night, many of whom were there praying, he said. Despite the amount
of people gathered, Lee said, the fountains in the square could
still be heard. “It’s really kind of strange when you
have that much people and … it’s so quiet that you can hear
the water rushing,” he said. The pope’s death shocked
him, Lee said, because of the particularly long period that this
pope had retained his position and the medical ailments he had
survived in the past. “It was kind of hard to believe that he
had actually passed away,” he said. On Monday afternoon, the
first day public viewing of the pope’s body was allowed, Lee
waited in a five-hour line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Lee
said he wanted to see the pope in state because it was important to
him as a Catholic, and he also realized the historical importance
of the events taking place. While students studying in Rome have
responded emotionally to the events taking place at the Vatican,
the pope’s death has evoked varying responses from students
across the world. On the UCLA campus, student reactions have ranged
widely, said Michael Rael, a second-year math student and a student
leader at the University Catholic Center. Catholic students, he
added, were affected by the pope’s death not just because he
was the head of the Catholic Church, but also because he was the
only pope most students had known. Cynthia Yoshitomo, a campus
minister, said most students are taking the news of the
pope’s death well and are reacting by learning about the
process of selecting a new pope. The pope’s stance on gender
issues and sexuality made him a controversial figure among the
Catholic community, she added. “(Students) loved the man, but
they did not like his conservative message,” Yoshitomo said.
On Monday the UCC will be open to allow students to come and say
private prayers for the new pope.