Moments from the Mass

Of all the things that strike me as remarkable about Masses in St. Peter's Square, and there are many, the first is the incredibly efficient choreography for the distribution of Communion. At the key moment, dozens, hundreds, or thousands of priests (no sign of a shortage here...) emerge from the side of the basilica and head out into the piazza. The worshipers are seated in blocks, set apart from one another by white curtains, and the priests, obviously following some elaborate plan, move quietly down and through the piazza, and on occasion up onto the rooftops, to distribute the consecrated wafers to each part of the crowd. From the roof, where I sit, you can see all these guys in white moving through the crowd, somehow managing to reach everyone in a relatively modest period of time. It's impressive, simply as an organizational feat.

The Mass has now ended; it lasted about two hours, and organ music is ringing across the piazza as the cardinals, bishops, and dignitaries head into St. Peter's and the crowd heads into the streets of Rome. I'm told that the pope will now host a lunch for all the cardinals at the entrance to the Audience Hall, which is in Vatican City sort of across a street from the basilica.

I expect next to see Cardinal O'Malley, and to check out the ring, this afternoon, when he's holding a reception for the news media. More later.