This is Pope John Paul II asking my advice on an obscure theological issue. And I’m saying, “I’m sorry Your Holiness, I’m a lapsed Anglican."
Actually, that’s an enormous fabrication (as you might have guessed). But it is me and I’m meeting the Pope in 1984. The Vatican photographer obviously thought I was far more important than the insignificant journalist I really was.
Protestant or not, I was presented with a rosary in a case with the Papal coat-of-arms. This mildly frustrates Catholic friends who wonder why an Anglican has such a rosary and they don’t. I say I’m in more need of encouragement and privileged to have met someone with such an impact on late 20th Century history.
My little story is by way of introduction to Newfoundland, to be fair, something of a leap. But the last time I was there was with the Pope or it may have been with Charles and Diana.
I can’t find any pictures from Newfoundland, so here's a newspaper clipping from the same tour, but in New Brunswick. Diana’s with that province’s premier. In the background, I’m craning in hopes of some splendid gaffe to enliven reporting of an otherwise tediously formulaic royal visit to Canada.
During one of those 1980s assignments, I found time to take a picture of an iceberg off the Narrows, entrance to St. John’s harbour.
From my hotel room this afternoon, here again are the Narrows. I’ve only been here for work, starting with a university newspaper editors’ conference in the Sixties. This, I felt, should be corrected. Mind you, now that I think of it, the university conference wasn’t that much work … in fact, now that I really think back, it was one long party.
I’m having a few days break following eye surgery in the spring. Wanted to be in Canada - it’s our 150th birthday - and reasonably close to Toronto, only a three hour flight. Relatively small, well under 200,000, St. John’s has character in spades and I can just stroll.
With its characteristic Second Empire architecture - mansard roof and hooded dormer windows - St. John’s offers photographic possibilities in abundance.
It is a town shaped by, dependent on, beholden to the sea. So, there’s plenty of fish (well, there was), island music, iceberg beer and a history dating to the very founding of the British Empire.
A lot of what I expect to write, Canadians know well. But many, indeed most, of my readers are not Canadian. And mainland Canadians have considerable affection for Newfoundland. That affection used to be somewhat patronizing, but there was also respect. The province has endured many storms - not just the weather - and demonstrated impressive resilience and distinctive individualism, all while retaining an idiosyncratic humour.
