Rehearsing with the Pope

Okay, so we weren't actually with the Pope, but we did have a look-a-alike for this morning's very early rehearsal of the harbour cruise and motorcade. It was cold and wet, but also a huge success! All the timings worked out perfectly and everyone from security to media to operations are happy. Here are a few pictures for you:


Above is the Papal boat, which can hold up to 700 people, though it won't have quite than many on the day. It is an amazing boat -- the first one I have ever seen come up to a dock sideways (no forward or backward movement at all)


This mimics the Popemobile route to the altar -- nothing fancy, but it was still cool!


Here is the stage for the Papal welcome at Barangaroo. In the background is Sydney Harbour, and at this point the Papal boat is just to the left of the altar. For those of us on the boat, we will have a great opportunity to see the roughly 150,000 pilgrims waiting to see the Pope.

Until next time, blessings and G'Day!