In his private journal, Eugene continued to jot down his impressions of the morning, as he recalled them. He cannot resist noting his amusement at the Dominican priest in the audience room whose discomfort in waiting was clear as his empty stomach rumbled, and whose face must have been a picture when Eugene was called in to the Pope before him!<\/p>\n
\nI will not begin to transcribe everything that happened during that precious audience which lasted for more than half an hour, to the undoubted regret of the Dominican Father who had not had lunch, nor more than I who had been fasting.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
His experience of the person of the Pope was one of indescribable kindness<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0The Pope showered me with indescribable kindness. He talked for a long time and listened very attentively when it was my turn to speak. We talked in Italian and he always referred to me in the third person, the most polite form. He gave me very detailed explanations where he could have abbreviated things.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Roman Diary, 20 December 1825, EO XVII<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0To Henri Tempier he confided:<\/p>\n
\nIt would be impossible for me to relate to you all that was said, still less to describe to you the goodness, the pleasant manner and courtesy of the sovereign Pontiff.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
I was kneeling beside him. Several times he motioned for me to rise; I did not wish to, I was comfortable at his feet, besides I leaned against the desk. I could have remained longer in this position without discomfort.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 22 December 1825, EO VI n 213<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cKindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 Mark Twain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In his private journal, Eugene continued to jot down his impressions of the morning, as he recalled them. He cannot resist noting his amusement at the Dominican priest in the audience room whose discomfort in waiting was clear as his … Continue reading