Well, not really. And he was on a jumbotron! You apparently have to reserve tickets way in advance in order to sit inside St. Peter's Basilica for the service, but despite the on and off rain I really enjoyed sitting outside (no standing and kneeling -- which I wouldn't know when to do anyway -- and we were able to beat the crowd home).
It was surprising how few people were there; I was almost expecting Obama inauguration type crowds, but perhaps the rain deterred a lot of people. There was a section of chairs set up in front of the Basilica, but they weren't even full. Despite the proliferation of umbrellas, we were able to move around until we could see the Pope's lovely visage on the jumbotron!
Speaking of which, here's a clip of the midnight mass ceremony (not the most interesting part, but hey, it was my first Catholic mass! I never knew what was coming next):
It's now closing in on 1:00am and I've got an early train to catch to Florence, but hopefully soon I can catch up on writing about my trip!
Merry Christmas.
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