"My Father's Eyes"

On April 4, 1946, Lt. Col. Donald H. McLean Jr. and five U.S. Army colleagues, while on a visit to Rome from their headquarters in Berlin, were granted an audience with Pope Pius XII. The following (edited) account is taken from his diary.

Having agreed to meet at 11AM, we rose at a reasonable hour and had a casual morning. Several of us went shopping for gifts. The main drag had all sorts of tourist items, especially leather goods. I got a bottle of perfume (2,000 lira) and a set of wooden band figures. I also purchased several rosaries for the Pope to bless.

At the appointed hour, we were driven to St. Peters in two cars under the leadership of a representative from the American Embassy. Driving in was like entering a castle. We passed through several gates, each positioned with the famous Swiss Guards who saluted smartly as we passed. We stopped in an inner courtyard, were ushered inside, and had our hats and coats checked.

After a brief wait, we began our trek through the 12 rooms that lead to the Pope's anteroom. They were all very ornate in a quiet red plush medieval sort of way. Several had chairs set up, apparently for Papal audiences. The Swiss Guards were everywhere, dressed in their distinctive costumes. We encountered another brief wait in a room about four removed from the main one where the Pope sat. We all stood by. We were then ushered into the anteroom, lined up, and waited again.

A Cardinal and several clerics of lesser stature filed out as we were ushered in to greet the Pope. As instructed, we knelt on one knee, held his hand, kissed his ring, got up, and took our seats which had been arranged in a semicircle around his desk.

He wore a pure white vestment, skull cap, and a beautiful diamond studded ivory crucifix on a chain. His sapphire ring was surrounded by small diamonds. I noticed that he had lovely hands with long fingers. He spoke in English and seemed to understand it as well. At the center of his desk was a box of blue (for boys) and white (for girls) rosaries as well as a small stack of envelopes about one inch square.

After greetings and introductions, there ensued a brief discussion about the dire food situation in Germany. The Pope had recently met with former U.S. President Herbert Hoover who had been appointed by President Truman as a special envoy to determine the food status of the occupied nation. The Pope was complementary of all that America had done in this regard and was to give an address on the subject that afternoon.

The Pope asked each of us where we were from and listened carefully and attentively as we spoke. He then asked if we'd like a rosary. I took 2. He blessed them with a wave of the hand. He similarly blessed the ones that we had purchased earlier. After about 15 minutes, the he slowly rose to his feet, came around the desk, shook our hands, and gently (but firmly!) let us out. We then filed back quickly through all 12 rooms again. It had been a most impressive event which words are inadequate to describe.

We were then led into a room jam packed with about 700 standing people who had come to see the pope for a public audience. The crowd included some 100 young Italian children (5-7) in white dresses. We were led to chairs along the side that were in front of the rope that separated the crowd from the Pope's chair.

With all carefully arranged, the Pope entered through a side door. The children clapped loudly and broke into a chant which I did not understand. It sounded like a college cheer. He blessed the crowd, went up to the dais, and sat down. He spoke in English then repeated his words in Italian. He concluded with another blessing, rose, and slowly departed through the same door. The children again clapped and cheered loudly.

The Pope had an obvious human touch that reminded me of General Eisenhower. There was nothing pompous about him. He appeared to be very friendly and kind.