The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1962-03-16
BY Msgr. James |. TUeek


The fatherly warmth of
Pope John XIII and the
elegance and poise of
Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy
combined to make their
March II meeting one of the
rare encounters of the Pom
tiff's reign.
The wife of President John
F. Kennedy, was accompanied
from her Rome residence at
the Villa Taverna, where the
us. ambassador lives by
Archbishop Martin j. O'Con-
nor, a rector of the North
American College in Rome.
She arrived at the Vatican at
1926 am. and was received
in the courtyard of st. Dana
sus by US. priests serving
the Papal Secretariat of State:
Msgrs. Plus Benincasa of Buff
alo. NY, and Paul MARGIN"
kus of Chicago, and Father
Daniel F. Cronin of Boston.
THE FIRST LADY wore a
full length black dress of
simple but elegant cut with
a high collar and long sleeves.
She wore three strands of
pearls and her head was COW
cred with a black lace man.
tilla. Her beauty and poiSe
were striking.
After ascending by eleva-
tor, Mrs. Kennedy and the
American prelates passed
along the Raphael-designed
loggia to~the Clementine Hall
of the Vatican Palace. Her
entrance into the hall was
saluted by a squad of six
Swiss Guards.
In the hall, Mrs. Kennedy
was received by Msgr. Mario
Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano,
master of chambers, and dig
nitaries of the papal house
hold. Her passage through
the series of rooms leading
to the Pope's study was sa-
lutad by units of the Palatine
and Noble Guards.
AT PRECISELY II A.M.s
Archbishop O'Connor and
Msgr. Nasalli Rocca escorted
Mrs. Kennedy to the Pope's
study. On entering, she genu-
Elected, kissed the Pope's
ring and sat down in a chair
beside his desk.
MRS. KENNEDY LATER
said that she was Immediately
put at ease by the Pope's
manner. During the 30-min-
ute audience, she said, she
and the Pope talked about
her family. She recalled that
when she told the Pope that
her daughters name is Caro-
line, he said: "Ah, after the
sanity Charles Borromeo."
The Pope called to her at
tention that he, her husband
and her son all have the same
name--John.
In an exchange of gifts at
the end of the audience, Pope
John gave Mrs. Kennedy ros-
aries and medals for men,
bers Of her family. She pre-
scented the Pope with a vol
ume of the Presidents speech
es. "To Turn the Tide"
Toward the end of the au-
dience, Archbishop O'Connor,
Msgr. Thomas Ryan Of the
Se~cretariat of State, Msgr.
Benincasa. Msgr. Marcinkus
and Father Cronin rejoined
Mrs. Kennedy and the Pope.
Pope John escorted Mrs.
Kennedy out of his study and
through a series of adjoining
rooms, an honor considered
rare since he normally bids
goodby to his guests at the
threshold of his study.
Immediately after leaving
the Pope, Mrs. Kennedy went
to the apartment of Amleto
Cardinal Cocognani, Papal
Secretary of State and former
Apostolic Delegate to the U.S.,
where she visited for 20 min
utes. The Cardinal gave her
a prayerbook in English for
Caroline's First Communion
and a doll dressed in the uni
form of a Swiss Guard.
While Mrs. Kennedy was
visiting Cardinal Cicognani,
Pope John received in special
audience a group of more
than 30 US. newsmen who
are following Mrs. Kennedy
in her travels. The Pope
greeted each journalist indi'
vidually, and chatted general
ly as he passed from one to