My Roman Holiday: Pope Francis and the Papal Audience

This morning (6/5), I woke up at 4:30 and walked 2.5 miles to see Pope Francis speak at the papal audience. I stood in line, doing my best to ward off elderly Italian ladies who knew how to throw a sharp elbow in the ribcage...but, after three hours, I made it into the Vatican, running to the front of Saint Peter's Square. I managed to get a good seat, and staked out my chair for the following three hours.

At about ten, Pope Francis rode out into the crowd in his "Popemobile," smiling, waving, and kissing babies left and right. He looked so genuinely happy as the 200,000-something crowd cheered wildly and snapped pictures. It was a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life: the collective happiness, the sheer joy of being part of such a large group of people in order to see one man who was just as enthused to be there as we all were.