pojo: NEWS AND VIEWS FROM ROME!

I left for Rome along with my colleague and friend Br. Cyriac Kurias on 19^th early morning from New Delhi and reached the headquarters of the Salesians of Don Bosco at Pisana in Rome on the afternoon of the same day.

I am in Rome as the elected delegate to represent the Salesian Province of New Delhi at the General Chapter of the Congregation (a six-yearly gathering of the representatives of the more than 90 Salesian provinces extending over 132 countries) to discuss matters of policy and elect the General Council of the Congregation for the next six years. Br Cyriac is a special invitee.

We flew Lufthansa and what struck me as I approached the aircraft was the very cheerful female flight attendant welcoming the passengers with all the friendliness you can imagine (very unlike the image of the stern German I had)! And very unlike the dower faces that we usually encounter on flights both domestic and international.

And inside the aircraft all the flight attendants (they were all female) were surprisingly friendly and cheerful. But they could be stern as needed as when with a commanding voice a flight attendant told a passenger too eager to get off the plane after it landed even while the aircraft was taxiing to sit down.

After a two-hour layover in Frankfurt we flew into Rome. An Indian Salesian, Lawrence Maria, was at the airport to receive us and take us to the Salesian headquarters and help us get settled in.

Father Francesco Cereda, the Moderator of the Chapter, welcomed us as we sat down to a late lunch – and with delicious chocolate!

The Generalate (the name by which the Headquarters is known) is a huge place and it is easy to get lost. In fact, later in the evening I spent twenty minutes wandering around to find my way to the same dining hall where we had lunch. And I have lost the way many time after that!

After resting and trying to get a feel of the place on the 20^th, I went to have “darshan” of the “Eternal City” by going over to the Coliseum and the Victor Emmanuel plaza and surroundings on the 21^st morning with my colleagues Fr. Godfrey D'Souza, the Provincial of Mumbai, Fr. Ajoy Fernandes, the vice-Provincial of Mumbai and Br. Cyriac. (see photographs).

Tomorrow all of us Chapter members who arrived in Rome leave for Turin (where Don Bosco worked and died) for a three day pilgrimage before we officially begin our Chapter work. Some members will be coming over directly to Turin, including my friend and colleague Fr. VM Thomas, the Provincial of Guwahati. We were informed tonight that the night temperature in Turin is 0!