what if the pope dies?
Feb 25th, 2005 | 06:27 AM
#3
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
I don't think anyone can say.
St Peter's and much of the Vatican City will inevitably have to be closed for tourist visits for purely practical reasons during much of the period around the funeral, the election and his successor's coronation. OTOH, all of those events are spectacular in their own right, and much of them visible from St Peter's Square.
You can hardly close churches during periods of mourning (the faithful are supposed to use them more often then), so wouldn't the Papal Basilicas in Italy - as opposed to what's in the Vatican - go on as normal? Presumably the most disruptive thing from tourists' point of view would be if they stopped tourist visits - but Assisi is the only other Papal Basilica that's a real honeypot.
As for the rest of Italy (including Rome itself): even if there was public mourning when previous Popes died, Italy's a very different, and more secular, country these days. And, however popular this Pope has been with many people, he's far from universally loved.
Berlusconi will most likely take a decision at the time based on what he feels will best suit Berlusconi's interests. But I'd guess that might come to one day's government office/museum etc closure at most.
The restaurants will go on as hey always do.
St Peter's and much of the Vatican City will inevitably have to be closed for tourist visits for purely practical reasons during much of the period around the funeral, the election and his successor's coronation. OTOH, all of those events are spectacular in their own right, and much of them visible from St Peter's Square.
You can hardly close churches during periods of mourning (the faithful are supposed to use them more often then), so wouldn't the Papal Basilicas in Italy - as opposed to what's in the Vatican - go on as normal? Presumably the most disruptive thing from tourists' point of view would be if they stopped tourist visits - but Assisi is the only other Papal Basilica that's a real honeypot.
As for the rest of Italy (including Rome itself): even if there was public mourning when previous Popes died, Italy's a very different, and more secular, country these days. And, however popular this Pope has been with many people, he's far from universally loved.
Berlusconi will most likely take a decision at the time based on what he feels will best suit Berlusconi's interests. But I'd guess that might come to one day's government office/museum etc closure at most.
The restaurants will go on as hey always do.
Feb 25th, 2005 | 06:34 AM
#4
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
While I've never really had much practical experience with this, scientific studies have shown that the best possible way to get rid of jet lag the fastest is to expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible. So I suppose what that means is, go ahead and do all the outdoor activitiers that you were planning on the first day itself, and avoid being indoors, say in a museum, or theatre.
Feb 25th, 2005 | 07:10 AM
#6
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,691
Likes: 0
Here's a link to a thread that was going around a couple of months ago asking the same question.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34522971
Peace.
>- Robyn
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34522971
Peace.
>- Robyn
