[Leica] The Pope.

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

What I'm about to share with you was a moment I had while photographing the 
Pope in 1984 during His visit to Canada. Of course using Leica's. :-)

We were in Government House, home of the Governor General in Ottawa and as 
one of the Prime Minister's photographer's at the time, it was my assignment 
to shoot many meet and greets during a reception of His Eminence and Members 
of Parliament.

It was a heck of crowd, something like being in a hurrican of people and 
noise, just incredible. But when I was as close as it was possible to shoot, 
within a few feet of the Pope, I could have touched Him or He me, there was 
an amazing quiet and calmness like being in the eye of a storm.

It kind of caught me by surprise with all the jostling going on, loud voices 
and yet here I was in this "quite space" shooting without any effect of the 
crowd. Amazing! And in all my years had only experienced a similar kind of 
"presence thing" once before.

And when the shoot was over after about 20 minutes and I stepped out of this 
closeness, I was back into the jostling and racket of the crowd. So there 
was something there being that close to the Pope.

For those interested, I'm of protestant faith, so to me the Pope was the 
Holy Man of the Catholic church and that was it with respect. So my feelings 
were not influenced due to the possibility I may have been of the Catholic 
Faith.

But it was a moment to remember while in the company of this man and what he 
meant to so many people on this planet. It's a sad day for many at his 
passing.

Hopefully you'll find it an interesting Leica moment.

ted