Pope Francis in an empty St. Peter’s Square in the dark and rain. For many — obviously, especially Catholics — this was one of the most memorable moments of the early Covid-19 shutdown. All of our shared moments were happening on-screen. Our office meetings. Our desperate catch-up sessions with friends. Our listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci in Washington, D.C., or Andrew Cuomo in New York. People weren’t allowed to say goodbye to loved ones as they died. Women were giving birth in masks, their husbands not allowed to be present. We felt that the world had either gone crazy or tyrannical or both, or that it was the beginning of the end. And during that mess of uncertainty that had rattled most of us, a religious leader led us in prayer.
It was five years ago now. Even people who don’t pray had noticed the event. And, as you may remember, the only sounds we could hear besides the rain were sirens. Emergency vehicles strike me as parts of the essential soundtrack of Rome — akin to the f-word on the streets of New York. You can forget for a moment where you are until these signature reverberations bring you back to reality. For a native New Yorker, or a Christian in Rome, sirens may signal “home.” That scene on our screens brought many of us to our knees. (Truth be told, as Masses and worship services were available only online, we were starting to become more accustomed to praying by our laptops with coffee in hand.)
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