It’s too much to ask, we all acknowledge.
But suppose, just suppose all those disparate geo-political/cultural-religious elements who publicly mourned the late Pope John Paul II and professed such an abiding respect for him were to accord the Holy Father the ultimate act of respect.
Silly us. That would mean no wars. No terrorist acts.
No one is that respectful.
In fact, Rome’s city fathers would have settled for a much more modest form of respect.
The death of a beloved pontiff brought more than an unprecedented number of world leaders and pilgrims to the Eternal City. It also brought the notoriety of price gougers.
“The closer you get to the basilica, the higher the prices,” noted Franco Cioffarelli, the city’s financial chief.
With security the top priority, it would have taken more resources than Italian authorities could muster to monitor and crack down on price gouging. Actually, it would have taken a miracle.