Vatican City, May 1, 2011 / 07:37 am
The estimated one million people in Rome for today’s beatification put many pilgrims far away from the actual celebration, but the distance could not supress their joy.
“We just wanted to be here. For me, John Paul is one of the greatest men who ever lived. He changed the world for every country. History has never seen his like,” says Mieczyslaw Olepra from New Ross in County Wexford, Ireland. He’s just driven over a 1,000 miles by car only to find himself down a Roman side street with no view of St. Peter’s.
“Is it worth being here despite the view? Yes. Absolutely. I’d like to have been closer but, well, we arrived a little bit late this morning. But it’s worth it. Yes.”
Having to watch on a big screen in the nearby Piazza del Risorgimento is William Ssenyondo. An accountant, he traveled to Rome all the way from Kampala, Uganda.