La misa del Papa Francisco - the Pope in Surco

After Pope Francis arrived in Peru on January 18, he concluded his 4-day stay in the country today with a mass in the capital city of Lima.

To my great fortune, this mass took place right around the corner from me at a military airfield, so I only had to walk 5 minutes to the entrance instead of having to fight through blocked streets and crowded buses.

The walk ended up being a bit longer than expected this morning, though. Due to the long line that was already waiting at the entrance, I had to walk several blocks to the end.

Over an hour after my arrival, I finally made it onto the grounds. Unfortunately, my seat was far away from the stage, which I could only see through the large screens, but it was directly on the path that the Pope passed by before his mass.

                                  

I spent the day waiting from 6 in the morning under the blazing sun until the mass at 4 in the afternoon, wearing a sun hat, sunscreen, and over 4 liters of water. And I was still one of the latecomers. Many waited 24 hours until the start of the mass to be able to stand at the front.

Then finally, the Pope arrived. Where I had just been in the front row, I was suddenly at the back, because everyone rushed towards the street to see the Pope.

Unfortunately, the Pope's Popemobile drove by so quickly that I didn't even have time for a photo. I followed the mass on the screen before making my way home after a long sunny day.

For me, the mass itself was a regular Catholic mass, and the moment I could see the Pope was too short. But for many others, this day meant joy, happiness, and blessing, and I was able to experience that up close.