Local couple says traffic, security and standing worth it to see pope
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 27, 2015 1:50 AM
Full Size
News-Argus file photo
Mick and Karin O'Donnell of Dudley are back from Washington and shared the experience of seeing Pope Francis earlier last week.
You may have seen the pope on TV when he paid a visit to the White House and spoke before Congress on Thursday.
But here's what it was like in the cheap seats out on the west lawn, where a crowd of 50,000 strong waited for a glimpse of the "People's Pope."
Some arrived as early as 5 a.m.
Admission was by ticket only. Chairs and water bottles were not allowed in, and there were no vendors inside selling cold beverages.
"We had to stand for three-and-a-half hours," Mick O'Donnell said. "We got there shortly after 8. (The pope) started after 10, finished up at 11."
O'Donnell and his wife, Karin, secured tickets through Congressman Walter Jones. They drove up on Wednesday, staying with friends in Arlington, Virginia.
"Security was tight," O'Donnell said of the scene surrounding the papal visit. "There were more police there than you would ever believe. They had streets blocked off, but thank God for the D.C. Metro."
The Dudley couple opted to take the train in to the festivities, avoiding heavy traffic.
The temperatures were mild, making the long wait manageable, O'Donnell said, with he and his wife using the time to talk to others in the crowd.
"We had a family in front of us with two small kids. There were people there older than I am," the 75-year-old said. "But people upon people upon people. It was unreal.
"My feeling was that probably, I would guess 50 percent of the people there were not Catholic, but they were all just in awe."
He noted that there were some detractors, people with loudspeakers or carrying anti-pope message signs, but refrained from interrupting the actual presentation.
When Pope Francis made his way out onto the portico to bless the crowd, the response was amazing, O'Donnell said.
"People were yelling, 'Viva il Papa!' It was something else," he said.
O'Donnell gave high praise for the pope's remarks, even more special because he chose to deliver them in English.
"When he spoke about the Golden Rule, I thought, we finally had a pope that spoke the same language as my parents did," he said. "It amazed me that obviously he's only something because he reaches so many people.
"His speech was well-crafted. He covered every single thing and yet he never rubbed it in anybody's face. He started off with let's get rid of the death penalty."
The papal leader also talked about climate change and the value of human life, but most impressive, O'Donnell said, was his ability to engage the audience.
"It was like being in an upper division philosophy class," he said. "He never talked down to the crowd. It was, 'You're good and intelligent people and here's what I would like you to focus on.'"
Being in the midst of such a historic occasion -- this is only the fourth pope to visit America -- the life-long Catholic said, was "well worth the effort."
In addition to the memories, he and his wife also garnered some souvenirs. Mrs. O'Donnell picked up a button, and they both walked away with T-shirts bearing the pope's likeness, a bargain at $10 apiece.
"This Sunday (today) is the Catholic parish picnic out at Seymour," said O'Donnell, who holds the title of extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. "I'm scheduled to assist with the Eucharist, and guess what I'm going to wear?"