(VIDEO TRANSCRIPT)
It's taxi time and we’re heading to the airport.
On a papal trip, even this has its tricks. If you go to Fiumicino, you’ll arrive at T1 or T3, the terminals for commercial flights.
Those traveling with the Pope go to a sort of ghost terminal: T5. It’s usually inactive, but this is the place from which Pope Leo XIV will depart.
Before boarding, there’s time to wait and recharge. Between early-morning coffees and chats, it’s time to catch up. And pay attention now…
Eva Fernández (Cope): Valentina Alazraki, how many trips have you done on this one?
Valentina Alazraki (nmás): 163, but it feels like the first one.
And her first was this: 1979, John Paul II’s trip to Mexico.
Valentina Alazraki: What was his greatest excitement about going to Mexico?
Since that moment, 46 years have passed, and Valentina is still on duty like the first day.
Veterans of papal trips also work alongside emerging young journalists.
Anneliesse Taggart from Newsmax, for example. If there is something she and Pope Leo have in common, it’s not just nationality. For both, this is their first papal trip.
And now it’s boarding time. But don’t think the Pope is on a private jet while we’re separate. Everyone travels together.
And so, the plane becomes a TV set waiting for its star. The dean reminds him on behalf of everyone what happened with Francis and the press.
Valentina Alazraki (nmás): When he was in Argentina, he didn’t like journalists at all. So when he arrived in our country, I said: maybe he feels like he’s entered a lion’s cage. In this case, the lion is you. So you have nothing to fear.
And if there is a fun tradition among journalists, it’s giving gifts to the Pope on the plane. Some choose silly ones.
It’s not hard to guess that Pope Leo is a White Sox fan.
Lola Gómez (CNS): I brought you a little gift, but first I have to put this on…So you can enjoy it at your residence and play your game.
Pope Leo XIV: Take the photo.
Then there are those who look for the perfect gift with a message.
Eva Fernández (Cope): This is the coat of arms of his Spanish ancestors, his great-great-grandparents, from the Island…It’s the authentic coat of arms of his maternal ancestors…So he has to come to Spain, as his roots are Spanish.
But before his papal election, Pope Leo was a cardinal. Many of us knew him from that time. Six months before his election, he attended the presentation of a documentary on the Swiss Guard, produced by Rome Reports. He remembered that moment.
This is what he told our cameraman, Arturo Anastasio, during the papal plane greeting.
Arturo Anastasio (Rome Reports): We met last year at the presentation of a documentary by my agency, Rome Reports.
Pope Leo XIV: The Swiss Guard, yes.
Arturo Anastasio (Rome Reports): It’s an honor… Can I ask for a blessing for my family and a thought we will keep in our hearts? Thank you.
The whole plane is personalized with the Pope’s coat of arms, from the headrests to the food menu.
Once landed, the endless papal days begin.
Elisabetta Piqué (La Nación): Journalism is a vocation. It’s a phrase I often repeat. We get up at four in the morning, it’s midnight, and it doesn’t stop, but we don’t complain. We’re happy to be here on the papal trip… the first one.
After very few hours of rest, it’s time for roll call…
Once in order, it’s time to get to work.
For those wondering if there’s time to visit the cities, here’s the answer: what little can be seen is through a window.
Following the Pope means a minute by minute schedule, and doing the same as him. If Pope Leo goes to the mosque, you go right behind him.
And, of course, you have to take off your shoes like anyone else.
Sometimes, the view of events is like this, from a press room.
Or like this, very close to the Pope… A privilege to attend any papal activity as one more participant.
But a lot of time is also spent here, in a mini-bus from one place to another.
And, as always, each country has its unique environment. In Lebanon, very high security. There are even soldiers inside the vehicles.
Also, reinforcements at checkpoints to cover papal events from inside.
Once inside each event, you have to look for details.
And there’s always the possibility you could be very close to the Pope to experience moments like this.
While some follow the events, we go around the city to record reports. And the result couldn’t be anything other than this.
As you can see, thanks to some of these voices, and many more, what happens on a papal trip can reach all corners of the world.
