Of course, the protection – very practical, personal - of the Pope was the priority for us, but naturally over the years a certain bond has also been formed between us. It should be noted that we were not allowed to spontaneously talk to the Holy Father on our own initiative. It was not like now, when Pope Francis lives in Santa Marta among hundreds of other tenants and has direct contact with them and the guards serving at the door of his room. Such a situation – today considered normal – was not even dreamed of by anyone at that time. We were only allowed to salute, possibly nod, but nothing more. If John Paul II addressed us, asked us something, then of course we could answer, but we could never go out in front of the ranks. However, he always noticed us, he paid attention to each of us when he passed by, talked to us, asked about the family. He knew well especially those elders who had been in the ranks of the guard for a long time. And, he was most closely associated with those who accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. In my case, the closeness to the Pope appeared just when I began to travel with him around the world.
Members of the Papal formation have always accompanied the Successor of St. Peter in his pilgrimage. John Paul II – as we remember – made a record number of one hundred and four foreign trips. Of course, belonging to the Papal entourage on flights to other countries requires a higher degree of initiation and is available only to guards of a certain rank.
Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi "It happened in the Vatican"
Znak Publishing House. Kraków 2020
pages: 106 – 107
