Victor Val Mas

Lighting and Helicopters

On February 28, a violent storm approaches the eternal city. Immense gray cumulus clouds slowly start to dominate the sky. Rome darkens as the late evening sunlight is blocked by the menacing clouds. In the distance, behind the cupola of St Peters basilica, the skyline becomes obscured as rain can be seen pouring over the Castelli, Romes surrounding hills. At 136 meters in height, Michelangelos cupola towers over the nearby buildings, reaching the sky. The surroundings erupt with thunder and lightning. Bolts of electricity light up the sky and thunder jostles the earth. Lightning strikes the cupola of St. Peters basilica, the epicenter of Christianity, and the pope resigns.

Its been 598 years since the resignation of Gregory XII, and this time Benedict XVI might have set a precedent that will be hard to ignore. Benedict XVI became the oldest cardinal to have been elected pope since Clement XII in 1730. Claiming old age Pope Benedict decided to step down just 8 years after starting his mandate. In one of the biggest media events of the year, the Pope boarded a helicopter to leave the Vatican and retire to the Popes summer residence, leaving behind the burden of having one of the worlds most powerful positions. The perfectly choreographed takeoff and meticulously planned flight path was Romes biggest advertisement of the year. The papal helicopter, lent by the Italian police, hovered over Romes most emblematic buildings, zigzagged over the Tiber and skimmed the Coliseum. The pope waved and his helicopter rose into the sky. During his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI had hoped to avoid controversy, yet he found himself having to confront sex abuse scandals, complots from within and corruption in the Vatican bank. Pope Benedict first

words as pope were pronounced in front of thousands of pilgrims waiting at St Peters square. When he walked toward the balcony, the world got a glimpse of their new pope, and then he said, Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.. Pope Benedict left the Vatican not like a laborer but like a superman in an action movie. He may have wanted his last public appearance as Pope to be discrete, but it was viewed live by millions and resembled the Queens helicopter stunt during the inauguration ceremony of The 2012 Olympic Games. Pope Benedicts decision to step down from power could mean that from now on we might be seeing papal resignations as the new norm. Lets just hope they dont occur every four years, or the Olympics might see some stiff competition as the largest televised event of the year.