At Gemelli Hospital, a forest of tripods, antennas and well-wishers

Published: 2005-02-02

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As soon as news of Pope John Paul II's hospitalization spread beyond Vatican City, journalists based in Rome flocked to Gemelli Hospital to cover the story. What looked like a forest of camera tripods and satellite antennas quickly sprouted up outside the Rome hospital Feb. 2. Well-wishers and pilgrims added to the media crowd, with all eyes and lenses focused on the 10th floor, where the pope has his own private room. Only Vatican officials and Rome VIPs, like Mayor Walter Veltroni, were allowed access to the hospital's upper levels to relay their wishes for the pope's full recovery from respiratory complications from the flu. As the number of journalists crammed into the hospital foyer mushroomed to 150 by late morning Feb. 2, guards were called in. Police linked their arms, forming a human fence around the journalists to keep them from wandering around the hospital in search of the pope and the perfect scoop. But in the rest of the hospital it was business as usual.

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