Scottish Catholic Observer

As I write up this blog entry, I am at Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid, as we prepare for tonight’s vigil led by Pope Benedict XVI. As the WYD guide book notes , ‘the great day has come.’ Interestingly, (or perhaps not) the journey out to the airfield by bus was the first, and most probably the last, time I have ever been involved in a police convoy.

More on the vigil, however, will follow in my next blog. Yesterday evening the Pope led the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) at Plaza de Cibeles. I have already commented in earlier blogs about how enriching it is to witness hundreds of thousands of pilgrims joining together to celebrate their Faith. What is an even more fulfilling experience, and this is something that I am sure many Scottish Catholics who were at Bellahouston Park for the Papal Mass last September will testify to, is the feeling when thousands of pilgrims are joined together as one in prayerful silence. Such was the experience yesterday evening in central Madrid as the Holy Father led the reflections.

On the way to the Stations of the Cross, I managed to find some Scottish pilgrims, (added to my meeting with Galloway pilgrims earlier, then surely finding two Scottish groups in one day, in a city hosting more than 1 million pilgrims, merits at least a 6/10 for effort?) I had been wondering if I would manage to spot a ‘See you Jimmy’ hat at some point in the week. I was not to be disappointed, as Robert Wilson from Glasgow stepped up to the plate yesterday evening. He happily posed for a photo with his friends, John Mulhearn and Sam Begbie, the trio all forming part of the Glasgow Archdiocesan group in Madrid.

This morning, Pope Benedict celebrated a Mass for seminarians at Madrid’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Almudena, the city’s patroness. I joined pilgrims, many of whom had their sleeping bags and belongings with them in preparation for spending this evening at Cuatro Vientos, outside the cathedral to listen to the Mass, which was relayed to us through giant speakers. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to receive Holy Communion from one of the concelebrating priests.

During the service, the Pope announced his decision to proclaim St John of Avila, patron of Spanish clergy, as the 34th doctor of the Church.

(Read Holy Father’s full homly at http://sconews.co.uk/news/11573/holy-fathers-message-to-seminarians-at-wyd/)

There was also a moment outside the cathedral that, for me, encapsulated that WYD is not exclusively for young people. Having helped a Spanish woman from Granada onto the wall on which I was sitting, to get the best view possible of the Pope, we tried to converse. The woman’s English was at a pretty similar level to my Spanish (in other words, we could barely understand each other) but that didn’t seem to stop the conversation flow! I asked her if she had a Spanish flag to wave to the Pope, to which she responded, (I think): “I don’t have a flag, but the important thing is that I am here to see him for myself.” A very touching response I felt.

The Spanish woman also told me the words of a chant that has been in my head for the past few days. ‘Esta es, la juventud del Papa,’ which I think translates along the lines of, ‘we are the Pope’s young people.’  This is a message to send to the world that could not have been more evident than when I looked across the airfied on arrival at Cuatro Vientos this evening.

Viva el Papa!