Chatting with Papa George

Papa George was telling me that he heard that at the very first meeting of the Cardinals in the Vatican to select a new Pope, one cardinal was rejected immediately. The strangest part of his story was that the Cardinal himself readily agreed with the other 114 who voted him as unsuitable. His name was Cardinal Ceecola. The problem was that if selected the commercial world would think little of the papacy, with the head of the church being called Pope Ceecola. Pepsi Cola may be pleased but not the other colas. I went through great pains to explain to Papa George that that had to be a joke as every cardinal must change his name if selected to be a successor to Saint Peter — the first Pope.

I told him after Saul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, he changed his name to ‘Paul’, how Jesus called Peter ‘Cephas’ and Jacob was given the name ‘Israel’ after he had wrestled with an angel for the whole night. Papa George then asked me if I felt that the new Pope should make the former pope a saint. “Yes”, I said. “John Paul II is a miracle worker. He made my mother 20 years younger.” Papa George was surprised. “Well, is like this”, I explained. “When it was announced that Pope John Paul II was coming to Trinidad in 1985, my mother asked me to take her to see him at the stadium. At that time she was 88 years old and whenever I had asked to let me drive her through the country she would always say she was not feeling well. Now I told her I shall take her but we must have rehearsals before we go.”

“But you real ridiculous with yourself — asking your queen to rehearse what?” Papa George interrupted. “Let me explain, I wanted her to leave the house and get accustomed to spending hours out doors in preparation for the Pope’s visit. She agreed and together with my sister Ivy, we went on our ‘rehearsals’. She was invigorated beyond my expectation. She moved and looked like a lady 20 years younger. Talk about motivation. Just the thought of seeking the Pope in person had energised her. It was the fulfillment of her dreams — the next best thing to seeing Jesus Christ himself. “Things worked out well. The St John’s Ambulance Brigade Association took care of the very senior citizens and when I was way up in the main stand, I saw her holding on to the arm of a guard and actually walking along to the seats close to the altar.

After 20 years of the Pope’s visit, that scene has been replayed hundreds of times in my mind’s eye. And Papa George, I am sure she was not the only octogenarian who had this tremendous urge to see the vicar of Christ. There must have been millions all over the world.” “So for that he should be made a saint?” Papa George queried. “Yes, John Paul II visited hundreds of countries and became the man most seen live in the world. He was an actor, a playwright and he had his own theatre company before he became a priest. And I tell you something, Papa George, he had a most powerful resonant voice with flawless diction. He would have made a great Shakespearean actor.”

“I don’t know what you talking about but this new Pope is a German. I don’t like Germans. As a boy he was in the Nazi army. Suppose he want to make Hitler a saint?” “Papa George for a big old man, you like to talk too much of stupidness. Every teenager had to be in Hitler’s army. You simply had no choice.” “Yeah. But before you leave, you remember that fella who living at 39, Calabash Alley who name was McDonald Stinkweed. Well, he change his name.” “Is about time. What is it now?” I asked. Papa George replied, “He change it to Rocky Stinkweed.”