Day 3 - The Catholic Police Guild Pilgrimage To Rome 2025

Wednesday 15 October

St Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of the Church

The day started very early with a planned 0630HRS meet for the group at the Piazza Pia which is a familiar Roman landmark situated at the opposite end to St Peters Basilica on the Via della Conciliazione.

Wednesdays are set aside for the general Papal audience in St Peters Square and there had been much anticipation leading up to this day given that we knew that Chris had, via contacting his local Archdiocese secured an opportunity to present to The Holy Father, on behalf of the group and the Guild in general, a custodian helmet supplied by Greater Manchester Police with the kind permission of The Chief Constable. The group had also managed to secure seating in the front reserved block in St Peters Square.

The "policing family" is international and, thanks to contacts made many years ago during previous Guild pilgrimages and which have been maintained ever since, enquiries had also been made with a great friend of the Guild within the Vaticano Gendarmeria (responsible for policing Vatican City and providing close protection to The Pope) regarding the possibilities of our group possibly being presented to His Holiness. However, we had not received an definitive answer to our request.

Along with the countless numbers of other pilgrims we joined the huddle just outside the colonnades at the perimeter of St Peters Square in anticipation of the gates opening. We waited at first in the dark and then watched then dawn light appear and it was interesting to witness, as it was for the rest of the day, the look on the faces of those waiting with us and passers by when they saw a number of British police officers in their No1 uniform in the Vatican.

Once the gates opened we made our way through the airport style security checks needed to enter St Peters Square. Once in the square, this is where the day developed into something which, looking back at it now, was quite surreal.

Having obviously spotted the uniforms and the medals etc, we were summoned over the speak to one of the suited Swiss Guards who, after asking out of the blue if were were English and then if we were The Catholic Police Guild, then had a conversation "up his sleeve" before requesting that we walk down the side of the square, past the area were due to be seated in, to a colleague of his who then escorted us to a seating area situated at the bottom of the steps to St Peters Basilica informing us that these were our seats for the Papal Audience.

We were then approached by our contact within the Vaticano Gendarmeria whom had been the person to prewarn the Swiss Guard that we were attending and to look out for us and who had reserved our excellent seats which were to be ours for the Papal Audience. We then received a brief input as to timings and where His Holiness would emerge from in the "Popemobile" and what would happen throughout the morning which would culminate in the Pope being presented to those Cardinals and Bishops also present. At this point our group would be brought up the steps and wait to be presented to His Holiness. This news was still sinking in as the ceremony of the Papal Audience began which included the Guild being mentioned by name along with a small selection of other groups of pilgrims from around the world.

It was then that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV came into view in the "Popemobile" and was driven at close range past our seating area to begin his journey around St Peters Square, along the Via della Conciliazione and returning to St Peters Square where the "Popemobile" actually drives up the steps in front of the Basilica to the podium where the Pope began to deliver his message and blessings in many languages.

As promised, as His Holiness was meeting the Cardinals and Bishops our group was beckoned up the steps and alongside where the Pope was standing to the area behind the podium and on the main steps to St Peters Basilica along with some other groups of pilgrims who had been specially selected. We were informed by Papal staff that His Holiness would be coming over to see us first.

The Pope had finished with the other dignitaries and there he was, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was walking over to our group. As he approached us he said "Ah, Englise !" before greeting us all individually with a handshake. He asked us where in the UK we were from and how long we were in Rome for and was then presented with the male custodian helmet. Fr Barry went to great lengths to emphasise it was a Greater Manchester Police helmet (his home force as their Lead Chaplain as well as the Guilds' National Chaplain !) and that it had the Kings cypher on it and that His Majesty was due to visit the Vatican the following week, something that obviously resonated with His Holiness.

We then had a group photo taken with His Holiness before he gave our group a blessing and said his farewell.

It is fair to say that we then walked back down the steps onto St Peters Square still in shock as to what had just happened !

Our group still had another pre-arranged appointment that afternoon, namely afternoon tea with HM Ambassador To The Holy See, His Excellency Christopher Trott at his residence a short walk from St Peters Square.

We were running slightly over in our schedule so en route there were a few frantic phone calls to the Ambassadors staff just to let them know we were still coming but had been delayed as we had met The Pope !

Once at the Ambassadors residence we were made to feel most at home by His Excellency and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea whilst he explained the role of the UK Embassy in The Vatican and how it, and his role is somewhat unique in the diplomatic service for many reasons. All too soon our visit was at and end and His Excellency was presented with some gifts from the Guild as a mark of our appreciation.

Our busy day had not yet ended as we continued on a pilgrimage by visiting another of the Papal Basilicas, namely The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano (St John Lateran).

Following the visit to St John Lateran we travelled by Romes' Metro system to the Venerable English College for Mass. Wednesday evenings Mass at the College is open to all and is known as their Community Mass and their followed some light refreshments and a chance to mingle with staff and seminarians from the College and others who had been in the congregation.

Following Mass we changed out of our "Sunday best" to enjoy a meal in the lovely mild Italian evening and to mull over what had truly been a remarkable day, one to remember and will not be forgotten.

It was an honour and a pleasure to be there,

A special thanks must go to a long standing and loyal member of The Catholic Police Guild, Mr Maurice Garvie, for his enduring contact within the Vatican and for his unwavering help in facilitating this momentous day in all our lives.