From the Visitandines in the Vatican- their news of this past summer:
Living near the successor of Peter …
The first thing that comes to mind, … – is the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. The day before the Holy Father sent zucchini cake and a biscuit.
The next day we got a big box full of terrific fresh fish with a huge sign: Mater Ecclesiae, from the apartment. There was a salmon of two feet, a snake, four “little fish” .. and even an octopus that seemed alive. But, what a shame! Our emotions made us forget to take a picture to pass on to posterity. We only “saved” the octopus, baked as a whole, which could be photographed after making a small operation to unite with chopsticks the head that already had been cut from the poor body.
Mother called C, responsible for caring for the Holy Father, to thank him and had the pleasure of talking to her for a good quarter of an hour. The issue, as it could not be otherwise, was the Pope who was about to go on holiday. He said that actually the whole “papal family” needs to rest, and are willing to go to Castel Gandolfo. Mass there is a little later so you do not have that so early, and the Pope is free to walk around without having to abide by a few times as regimented as here. Our Mother told her that indeed, the Pope is “imprisoned”, and she said yes, it’s true. Also before, when he was Cardinal, he lived nearby but outside the Vatican grounds, and he loved the afternoon strolling around the Plaza de San Pedro and the surrounding area and had become friendly with people working in nearby shops and spent times talking to them … On April 19, 2005 all that went away. “But he takes it very well, very peaceful, he is a man of faith, of great faith …” All C ‘s words exude immense admiration and affection for the Holy Father.She said she sometimes stops to think about what she did before and what she does … so different now, and she realizes that she is not yet aware of all the graces she is getting with the Pope. “But-, what matters is not what you do or where you are, but the important thing, the important thing is Jesus, Jesus, that’s what matters!”