On Barbara Kornfeld
The Pope invites the media to "his home" to thank them for the effort to have narrated the conclave, Starting from Holy Christmas, Until the dense calendar of commitments that led to the birth in the sky of Pope Francis, Monday in Albis 2025, giving a symbolically crucial meaning to Christians from all over the globe. Such an invitation is not indifferent to an atheist even, let alone who, Like the undersigned, He dealt with a large part of his life of spiritual themes. Parallel I imagined I was preparing to participate in much more than a simple thanksgiving party: The Pope is a shepherd, as such it has a duty to express guidelines, opinions - even if these do not pay him general consent - to try to indicate roads of conciliation and peace. As a reflection I felt the duty to think the ways on how to prepare myself for such an event. There were two publishers involved in the affair: The diocesan bulletin of the diocese of Teggiano-Policastro and Adim.
Mons. Antonio De Luca, Bishop of Teggiano-Policastro, It is one of my greatest spiritual references: With him I received the sacrament of confirmation, to one hundred and ten kilometers from my city of residence. This is not because priests were missing where I live, nor why they are mediocre, But because he has enormous will to listen, Opening and dedication to planning for the poor and abuse, culture, honesty of intent and great patience. I remember that more than ten years ago, in the period I helped a woman mistreated by her husband, I met him to interview him for a tourist incoming project. Off the cameras I talked to him about this woman, belonging to his diocese: He was already helping her too. We organized a conference on mistreatment and abuse with police representatives, Psychologists and other experts from Salerno, The aim was to break the silence on a sadly widespread theme. The mistreating husband was sitting in the front row, he did not lose sight of us. At the end of the evening they approached 3-4 women of age who oscillated between twenty and seventy years to trust the psychotherapist who underwent mistreatment from their respective partners. I then verified that the bishop facilitated the birth of a territorial body dedicated to the theme.
With the blessing of Mons. De Luca The journey to the Vatican has taken on my eyes an official value. The work team, On this occasion, It was two people, Because for the duration of the events I was able to count on the help of my father Federico who dealt with following television news, radio and check foreign news, being bilingual. Dad, however, is disabled, So the first problem to face was the logistical one: First of all, choose to travel by train to avoid road traffic, Agree with Trenitalia's "blue room" in good time to obtain the elevation service that allowed to raise him and his walker from the station's sidewalk to the train (For more complex routes, use the wheelchair but insisted in order not to bring it), Choose a hotel sufficiently close to Termini Station to immediately get rid of luggage and be "operational" since the arrival in Rome. The biggest problem, however, is to make an invalid person understand that disability is a fact that concerns a part of the body, not the essence of the individual: I have always observed it in others and I also experienced it on myself after my cranial surgery, When many - including relatives - wanted to convince me that "I was over", no longer able, and I had to resign myself to being a school collaborator (hypothesis that made my neurosurgeon skip over the chair, who is also a psychiatrist and psychotherapist): On me certain illications leave the time they find, I am used to competitive environments, even if when the competition affects dules from the inside; However, I decided to transform life experiences into stimuli to help people who happen to similar circumstances and do not have my cognitive resources to react independently.
Usually when I participate in a solemn event I bring a fair technical equipment: More than a camera, easel, microphone. In the Vatican, however, you can enjoy excellent logistical support: The Pope's speech is made available to communication operators, As well as the photos. In this circumstance I brought two smartphones that make photos and videos in 4K: The priority need was to be lighter as possible, especially with the mind, To focus on the contents that would have illustrated the new bishop of Rome.
The arrival in the Vatican was not easy: Monday 12 maggio 2025 In Rome there were the international tennis, The city was practically blocked, unthinkable to use the taxi. I took a shower at three in the morning, placed documents and luggage and reorganized the bathroom, so as to leave my father free field who would have occupied him two hours later; Then I left to sleep.
At seven less a quarter we left the trolley at the reception and headed to the subway. The hardest part of the route was via Ottaviano: Dad understood because I had insisted on the wheelchair, The route is too tiring for him with the sunset that beats. Arrived close to Square San Pietro, I was one last step: withdraw the credits in the press room in via della Conciliation. A group of carabinieri, Considering the general situation and the security logistics, proposed to leave my father with them, next to the van they had on the street, So they would have chatted in the shade. When I came back I found them laughing and jokes.
My father is agnostic, But he knows the Holy Scriptures better than me and has a confidence in the mercy of God who challenges the absurdity: concepts that often do not collide with the Christian conception, But in the sea of mercy they end up anyway. The idea I made, from his altruistic behaviors - especially towards those who have hurt him - is that he is on the way like each of us: And in the year of the Jubilee the Vatican is the symbolic place of the arrival point of each path.
The logistical organization between Italian and Papal State is a complex and perfect gear. Entering St. Peter's Square entails overcoming gates similar to airport ones, arranged under the colonnade: police and carabinieri are kind, especially with the disabled people.
When we finally arrived near the Nervi room, I realized that many of the Swiss guards are very young guys: extremely caring. When they saw us arrive, One of them called me accompanied us on the outside road, so as to avoid my father the discomfort of having to go down the stairs. They then asked him if he preferred to stay sitting on the walking: chose any armchair. The walking area was closed and placed in the corridor, before the doors were tightened.
In the Sala Paolo there was air of celebration: Families with children of all ages, young, adult, elderly people, people dressed in various ways; all united by smiling faces and by the desire to get to know each other, greet each other, exchange experiences and confidences pending the arrival of the Pontiff. My father, that he initially thought he would be bored, After a few moments he was intent in a very dense conversation with a Rai journalist, A young reporter (who then told me to be called Federico, like him), with US journalists, tedeschi, Swedish. The dominant theme was the peace in the world and the proposals to obtain it. Meanwhile, I wandered around the room to make video and photographic contributions, to observe people, to try to give the memory facts and suggestions as a simple silent spectator: My experience as a documentary authorist-registry has often made me prefer to let the events flow rather than influence them, To grasp its essence.
The Pope's arrival marked the beginning of the most significant phase of the day: the reason why the six thousand participants were there, He started joking in English, saying that the applause is very worth, the value is measured if people do not sleep and confirms applause at the end of a speech. He did it by introducing his speech in English, Then he went to welcome those present in Italian by citing the "mountain speech" in which Jesus proclaims the bliss of the "peace operators" who are those who make a type of communication that does not seek consents, non -aggressive, non -competitive, who makes himself the bearer of peace, who denies wars - with words and images - listening to others. Expresses solidarity with journalists imprisoned for trying to tell the truth, It hopes for its liberation and recognizes - as a Church - in these witnesses the "courage of those who defend dignity, Justice and the right of peoples to be informed, Because only informed peoples can make free choices ". The emotion caused by his words, sincere and heard, led those present to interrupt him with endless applause. He underlined that the suffering of those journalists weighs on the international community and it is the duty of each to keep the freedom of expression and press, without giving in to mediocrity, to fable languages: Style is important because communication is not just transmission of information, but creation of culture, human and digital environments that create spaces for dialogue and comparison. Theme always very dear to the Pope is artificial intelligence that has immense potential but which requires responsibility and discernment to produce benefits for humanity: It is a responsibility that concerns anyone, in proportion to age and social roles. He concluded by recalling the contents of Pope Francis in his message for the "World Social Communications Day", that is, the need to disarm the communication from prejudices, rancor, fanaticism, hate, to make it capable of listening, to collect the voice of the weak: By disarming the words it will be possible to help disarm the earth; Such a communicative line is consistent with our human nature because it offers other views of the world, The pope's exhortation is courageously choose the path of peace communication because they are involved at the forefront in the narrative of the facts of the world, therefore potentially suitable to contribute to the silent construction of a better world.
The demeanor of those present, who had been "protocol" upon arrival of the Pope, It has become increasingly familiar - almost from beach party - because at the end of the pontiff's speech there were journalists standing on the chairs to film it and photograph him, dad who tended the children to make him bless, people crowded in the hope of knowing him.
I turned to my father: “Come dad, Let's get to know the Pope ". I knew it was his great desire: My father lived many years in the United States. He likes this Pope very much: His speech in the Sala Nervi even more. Meanwhile, the pontiff was greeting the prefect and the secretary of the Dicastery for communication, Paolo Ruffini and Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz; The director of the Vatican press room, Matteo Bruni and the Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, President of the Board of Directors of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger -benedetto XVI, And the decanum of journalists accredited to the Holy See Valentina Alazraki: to each one gave a rosary. He then received a Andendel Peru scarf as a gift, a relic by Pope Luciani and much more. We were unable to know him because he left the bottom as he tightened hands and blessed the head of newborn children.
The external temperature was prohibitive, Especially for my skull - and brain tumors that are still affected - we put ourselves in the shade. I meditated that sometimes happiness exceeds tiredness and that is one of the cases. I decided not to create interviews with any experts to comment on the Pope's speech: Its contents are clear and are worth for anyone, Not only for journalists.
I accompanied Dad to the Lounge Bar of Termini Station, Then I went to the hotel reception where I had a legacy our trolley. When I came back my father was with a couple of Israeli journalists. He was telling him in English of how much, according to him, The sensitivity of the new pontiff can positively affect international balances, "Keep the exuberance of the President of the United States at bay" and build dialogue bridges. When they went away he revealed to me that he told him about his deported and dead grandparents to Treblinka. Then he expressed satisfaction with the fact that that couple with whom he had laughed and joked for half an hour, it appeared different from the managers of the genocide in Gaza. Pope Francis was the first to call him such. My father hoped that Pope Leo XIV will be able to influence the peace path as soon as possible.
