A man watched by 1.2 billion people around the world offered a message of hope on New Year’s Day. Delivering his traditional Jan. 1 address in Rome, Pope Francis urged followers to renew “the desire that which awaits us is a little better” than 2015.
Hope was also a theme one of Francis’ predecessors touched on three decades ago — a message hundreds of local residents heard first-hand.
Pope John Paul II touched down in Richmond at Vancouver International Airport on Sept. 18, 1984 as part of a Canadian tour. It was the first time the leader of the Roman Catholic Church visited Canada, and is still the only time the pope has come to B.C.
The significance wasn’t lost on Richmond’s Ed Fowler.
“It was a pretty rare thing,” he told the Richmond News. “There were a lot of celebrations while he was here, which was very short.”
Fowler was among the 200,000 people who packed a pope-led mass at Abbotsford airport, one of two public events in the region.
“It was a beautiful day,” recalled Fowler. “The thing that I remember most was the media telling everybody the roads were going to be so crowded you would have to leave early, and of course it didn’t turn out that way at all. You could drive right out and drive right home.”
Word spread about the pope’s 12-day tour almost a year earlier. On Dec. 14, 1983, the front page of the News shouted, “Pope coming here.” The story suggested the Holy Father would likely travel to downtown Vancouver after landing on Sea Island.
“If this is the case, there will be a tremendous amount of space on the grassy areas along Grant McConachie Way, between the airport terminal and the Arthur Laing Bridge, for spectators.”
But days before the pope’s arrival, Transport Canada urged people to stay away. A spokesperson said there would be “absolutely no opportunity” to view the pope at the airport. Only airline passengers would feel his presence — in the form of flight delays. YVR closed for 40 minutes during the pope’s arrival and 25 minutes for his departure.
Catholics and the curious were limited to seeing the pope during a papal motorcade in Vancouver, an event at BC Place and the outdoor Abbotsford mass.
Members of Richmond’s four local parishes didn’t want to miss their chance. They quickly secured event tickets and arranged transportation. St. Paul Parish rented the entire bus fleet of Richmond Coach Lines for the BC Place event — largely for children, seniors and people with disabilities — transporting more than 500 parishioners, including most of the St. Paul School population.
An estimated 55,000 packed BC Place to see the man in white clerical clothing. Some Richmond students joined a mass choir, others unfurled banners and chanted, “Pope, pope, pope.”
“This is the greatest thing in the world. It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Ivan Marley-Clarke told The Richmond Review at the time. “I’m 66 and a veteran. I didn’t think I’d ever have a chance to see the pope. I probably won’t get another chance.”
Added Richmond’s Mary Walliser: “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Although the pope didn’t make any official stops in Richmond, a few locals managed to get close to him at the airport. Before boarding a flight home to the Vatican, the pope greeted Richmond mayor Gil Blair and other dignitaries. But dozens of police officers blocked much of the scene from prying eyes — and cameras.
Review photographer Mark Patrick remembers training his film camera on the pontiff only to be blocked by rows of police.
“You’d take 10 frames and you’d never get him, and then suddenly his face would appear between the two cops standing in front,” said Patrick, adding his best photo on Sea Island came when the pope stood at the door of an aircraft and waved.
Inside BC Place, Patrick was forced to use a long 600-millimetre lens to capture the action.
Despite meeting rigorous security requirements, he and other photographers were restricted to a private box, high above the floor where unchecked spectators were close enough to touch the pope.
“Whenever I went to cover the pope, the whole trip, we were stuck so far away,” said Patrick.
In his current term of nearly three years, Pope Francis has visited numerous countries, just not Canada. But Richmond’s Fowler, who was in the sea of supporters at Abbotsford airport in 1984, isn’t ruling out a return.
“You never know. I would love to see Francis because he’s a favourite of everybody. So was (John Paul II) of course.”
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