The Pope grants this event for people with disabilities. In May and June I did some rehearsals to prepare for it. We performed the Gospel of Luke—a scene where Jesus sits at table with guests, and Mary Magdalene comes seeking forgiveness. They compare her to Simon: you didn't wash my feet with your tears as she did. Then there are two men, debtor and creditor, one who gives and one who takes, and neither has any money.
Some of us from Fede e Luce communities performed it at St. Peter's—the most important church in Rome, where the Pope lives. We sat along the steps eating bread and other things. After that, the broadcast for Rai continued with the Mass, and we took part just by being there. There was communion and the sign of peace, and then I saw the Pope. He arrived after meeting with the official people. I watched him climb into the popemobile and a driver took him away. I didn't understand what the rehearsals were for, but afterward it made sense. I had never experienced a Jubilee before June 12th.
I was happy to be with my friends. Alessandra directs us—she's a theater artist. There was a costumer named Mara who dressed me in a long black veil and a headdress. Under that I wore a red tunic with a cord. Everyone else wore the same outfit, just different colors.
There were women too: Bianca Maria, Roberta, Laura, Chiara, Anna—I kept looking at her because she has beautiful eyes that stay with me. Rita was one of the organizers, along with Norina. Among the disciples were Marco—I know him, he's my friend—Paolo, who I met at the Bicoca, Marco, Franco, Stefano, and others. I liked the idea of seeing each other now and then before we had to be apart.
Giovanni Grossi, 2016