Item 04: Memoirs of a Colonial Boy by Robert Joseph Stewart, ca. 1971 - Page 587
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morning excursions to go out again in the afternoon. One of them had to be flown back to Australia after her first two days in Rome. Also, a few of the not-so-old women were much inconvenienced, temporarily, by acute diarrhoea : fortunately our party included a doctor, and Thomas Cook & Son had attached a full-time professional nurse. In the balmy cooler evenings Jock and I left our weary fellow-pilgrims lazing in the hotel lounges, and set off on foot exploring the streets and alleys of the old city. Jock was really better than a local guide in some ways, as he not only knew the history of Ancient Rome and the Church very well, but being a Latin scholar he could readily interpret the many inscriptions on the churches and other important ancient buildings and monuments.
The most sublime experience of our sojourn in Rome was a public audience with Pope John XXIII in St Peters Basilica, late one morning, after we had stood waiting for nearly two hours in roasting sunshine in the circular "square" outside. Once inside the vast ornate building we stood waiting for about another hour in our alloted place near the famous bronze statue of St Peter, while the whole interior became closely crowded with pilgrimages from many countries. In the meantime soldiers of the Papal Army had filled in and lined each side of the main nave. At last His Holiness appeared in the front entrance, sitting in his gestatorial chair borne high on the shoulders of a squad of stalwart Swiss Guards in the colourful Michael Angelo uniforms. Preceeded by a number of high-ranking dignitaries and officers, the Vicar of Christ slowly and swayingly progressed up the nave past the silent reverential crowd, smiling and nodding benignly as he turned his head from side to side to bless the faithful. At the transept he was lowered carefully to his throne, from which he welcomed each national pilgrimage as it was indicated to him. In a strong vigorous voice he then delivered (without notes) a twenty-minute address in French, which stressed the urgent need of more char-ty in the daily life of the World. This was translated into