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Pope John Paul II lies in state at St. Peter’s Basilica as members of the public enter to p

As Pouya Gharavi exited St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning, he spotted a candle displayed in one of the many memorials that ornamented St. Peter’s Square. The fourth-year political science and history student recognized the only white candle among a group of red candles as one he had lit during a vigil at the square days earlier. His candle was the only one left from the original set that formed that particular memorial. Seeing his candle still displayed after thousands had entered and left the Vatican walls touched him, making him realize his participation in the historical events taking place at the Vatican, Gharavi said. The candle holder, which once shielded the flame Gharavi had lit, now contained a handwritten letter by a little girl. Pope John Paul II’s illness and death last Saturday has attracted massive crowds within the past week to the Vatican, where mourners held vigils and recited prayers. Like the note left in Gharavi’s candle container, visitors to the Vatican left letters and arranged children’s pictures around the square, Gharavi said. UCLA students studying in Rome, like Gharavi, were among the masses that congregated at the Vatican. For these students, completing an education abroad program is turning a world news event into a personal experience. • • • The morning Gharavi spotted his candle, he had woken up at 4 a.m. and made the less-than-five-minute walk from his apartment to the Vatican to view John Paul II in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. But even waking up at the crack of dawn did not prevent Gharavi from having to stand in a lengthy line. He said he waited for two hours in a line that inched ahead slowly. And the closer the crowd got to the cathedral, the quieter it became, he added. Once inside, officials ushered the crowd ahead quickly, making it difficult to register the experience as it happened, Gharavi said. But taking a moment to observe the crowd before exiting the cathedral, Gharavi said he noticed people looking back to get one last glimpse of the pope. “People just didn’t want to leave,” he said. This visit to the Vatican was one of many Gharavi has made within the past week. After hearing predictions on Friday night that the pope was in his last hour, Gharavi and a group of friends joined the masses that congregated in St. Peter’s Square. Gharavi, referring to this night as “the epic night,” remained at the square until late hours. He watched as cardinals delivered an outdoor service and observed a crowd whose mood he said changed from solemn to vibrant as the night wore on. Toward the early hours of the morning, Gharavi said, the remaining crowd, predominantly composed of young people, congregated in groups, singing, playing the guitar and chanting, at times in different languages. “They felt like (the pope) could hear them and so they kept trying,” he said. Gharavi said the young people’s enthusiasm and the love they felt for the pope surprised him. “They are the ones that have so much energy,” he said. Gharavi emphasized that he also observed an energetic mood in the crowd at other religious services he attended at the Vatican. “The emotions never die down,” he said. People had scurried to the center of the square, Gharavi said, to get a quick glimpse of the pope at a benediction on a Sunday in January, at which Gharavi first saw the pope, and after Easter Mass. “It’s like a rock concert at Woodstock,” he said. Gharavi was among the crowd congregated in front of St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday night when news of the pope’s death was made known to the crowd – about one hour after news stations announced it. Positioned close to the front of the crowd that faced St. Peter’s Basilica, Gharavi said the cathedral bells, which signalled the pope’s death, rang near him, making a noise he said he will never forget. “You could hear it in your heart,” he said. “That hit like thunder.” The bells hushed the tens of thousands congregated in the square, he said, and initiated the ringing of bells at different cathedrals in the city. That night, Gharavi, like others, napped at the square. “Young people everywhere were sleeping because they wanted to be there,” he said. “I just wanted to be a part of that.”

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The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica, that announced the pope’s death to Gharavi greeted Martha Jameson, a third-year history student, when she first arrived in January at her Rome apartment located right outside the entrance to the Vatican museum. Hearing the ringing bells was what first made Jameson feel like she had arrived in Rome, she said. Living right behind the Vatican as the week’s events progressed and trying to be a part of them while also continuing classes has made her experience abroad surreal, Jameson said. Returning from a movie on Saturday night, Jameson – who identified herself as a Catholic – noticed the masses congregated at the Vatican. Joining them she realized what had happened. “I was just really shocked and just really sad,” she said. A somber and solemn mood characterized the crowd that prayed and lit candles in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, Jameson said, who remained at the Vatican for about an hour that night. Days later, she said, the people continued to be solemn while also beginning to think about the coming events that would determine the new leader of the Catholic church. “It feels like something is missing from Rome,” she said. Jameson emphasized that on the occasions that she saw the pope at the Vatican, his love for the people was obvious. One week after arriving in Rome, Jameson attended a benediction service at which the pope addressed those in attendance. “The way that he spoke, he totally captivated everybody in the audience,” she said. “He loved the people and you could just see that when you saw him.” Jameson also saw the pope during Easter Mass, at which he attempted to speak despite his medical ailments. He was determined to address the people, though all that was heard was a slight whisper to the audience. The pope’s inability to speak aroused emotional responses, Jameson said. “He wanted to speak to his people. ... You could tell he wanted to speak so badly,” she added. As a history student, Jameson said, she understands the historical significance of the events taking place and feels privileged to be near the Vatican as historically founded decisions are carried out in the process of picking and announcing a new pope. Jameson said she plans to camp out tonight at the Vatican in order to ensure being able to attend the pope’s funeral on Friday.

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The tears of the people around him in St. Peter’s Square and his limited understanding of Italian made Greenfield Lee realize that the formal announcement made at the Vatican had just announced the pope’s death. The third-year economics student was among the crowd of people gathered at the Vatican on Saturday night, many of whom were there praying, he said. Despite the amount of people gathered, Lee said, the fountains in the square could still be heard. “It’s really kind of strange when you have that much people and ... it’s so quiet that you can hear the water rushing,” he said. The pope’s death shocked him, Lee said, because of the particularly long period that this pope had retained his position and the medical ailments he had survived in the past. “It was kind of hard to believe that he had actually passed away,” he said. On Monday afternoon, the first day public viewing of the pope’s body was allowed, Lee waited in a five-hour line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Lee said he wanted to see the pope in state because it was important to him as a Catholic, and he also realized the historical importance of the events taking place. While students studying in Rome have responded emotionally to the events taking place at the Vatican, the pope’s death has evoked varying responses from students across the world. On the UCLA campus, student reactions have ranged widely, said Michael Rael, a second-year math student and a student leader at the University Catholic Center. Catholic students, he added, were affected by the pope’s death not just because he was the head of the Catholic Church, but also because he was the only pope most students had known. Cynthia Yoshitomo, a campus minister, said most students are taking the news of the pope’s death well and are reacting by learning about the process of selecting a new pope. The pope’s stance on gender issues and sexuality made him a controversial figure among the Catholic community, she added. “(Students) loved the man, but they did not like his conservative message,” Yoshitomo said. On Monday the UCC will be open to allow students to come and say private prayers for the new pope.