European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Daily Magazine Tel the Pope s Hometown Edoardo Luciani brother of Pope John Paul i walks to Church in Canale d a Ordo with his wife Antonietta right and daughter Saveria. L new York times Ife was getting Back to Normal in Canale a Ordo Italy the tourists were loading suit cases onto the roofs of cars the locals were laying in Wood for the Winter and cutting Hay on the Mountain slopes when someone called from second floor window to Pia Luciani Basso of Pia your Uncle s been elected Pope the news sent the people of Canale d a Ordo out into the streets clapping their hands in approval. Soon the few streets of the tiny town lost in a Valley of the Dolo mite mountains were clogged with the cars of curiosity seekers. The Church Bells rang for two hours. A choir from nearby Mission school came to sing near the windows of the House where the Pope was born and where Berto Edoardo Luciani the Pope s younger brother still lives. Fon hearing the news the Parish priest Rinaldo an Rich hurried out to find yellow and White flags to Han from the curia offices and the Parish House. The news sent the villagers scurrying to attics and old trunks for photographs and mementos of the new Pope. The event gave the town an instant landmark and new descriptions for people Here comes Emma Luciani. She s married to a first Cousin of the Pope and lives in the House where the Pope s father had a the news set people remembering. Sitting in the Kitchen of her father s House Pia Luciani Basso 32, the Pon Tiff s favorite Niece recalled the family Uncle was baptized As soon As he was born she said. No one thought he would live. He came close toying several times and once a military doctor saved his added that even today the pontiff s governess sister Vicenza keeps after him saying holy father your As she talked a Man appeared at the Kitchen door asking which room the Pope had been born in. Pia pointed to the room off the Kitchen that now serves As the sitting room. The Man peeked in. Then realizing the House was open to anyone who wanted to see it he stepped out onto the Balcony and signalled his entire family to enter. When they had All trooped in he swung open the door to the sitting room and announced grandly this is where he was born As other visitors entered some with store bought flow ers some with masses of dahlias and Gladiolas from Gar Dens Pia dug into her memory. My Grandfather the Pope s father had a rather weak character she said. Grandmother had a Strong character but was Sweet. Grandma managed to get him to go to Church towards the end and he had a Christian would take his pay and buy tobacco grappa schnapps and chocolate and gave the rest to his would say you Wash and Iron for me. You should have this " Edoardo Luciani the Pope s brother is a retired school teacher and former Christian democratic mayor of Canale d a Ordo. He recalled that his father had had to persist to win his Mother. She was a nurse s aide in Saint John Paul Hospital i Venice he said. She cleaned the rooms and served the remembered his Mother wearing St. Gallen lace blouses that she had kept from her Days As a worker inthe lace factories in Switzerland. He wanted to marry her Luciano explained but she hesitated he had two deaf and dumb daughters from his first marriage and that was no joke. So he Tooka Job in a Lead smelting factory on the Island of Murano near Venice and courted her for a year until when the couple married they came Back to Canale a Ordo and Luciani or. Prepared to emigrate again to Germany where he had spent almost 26 years working i factories. His Mother would hear nothing of it and arranged for the family to move to Argentina where Shehad a brother. But then world War i broke out and the government stopped giving passports and called on italians to come Back to fight Luciani said. And they came. Those were the Days when people had a sense of if Pope John Paul i at the age of 3. Sunday september 24, 1978 up 2 Luciani explained that his brother often gave him advice had encouraged him to go into politics and had drafted some of his Early political speeches he also encouraged him to accept his current Post As head of the local chamber of expect i la be Able to see Albino when i go to Rome for meetings he said. Once the Swiss guards get to know me they la just let me slip through i others besides the family had memories to talk Luciani a classmate of Albino Luciani reminisced that As a boy the Pope had been the Best in the class and had an excellent memory. But she also said he played hookey and received the backhand of the school master whenever he was caught. Antonio Cagnati 55, a communist and mayor of Canale a Ordo since 1970, remembered the town after world War ii when the Christian democrats led by the Pope brother shunned the communists and the Church came Down hard on concept of heaven and hell came Back after the War the mayor said and guess who was headed for hell those were the Days that when i walked into a bar everyone present walked Canale d a Ordo was a desperately poor Village until recently. Families kept cows and trekked up the Mountainside to Cut Hay some hiking two hours to reach their Small plots. Mrs. Luciani used to bundle the future Pope into funnel shaped Basket strapped to her Back and take him with her when there was no one to look after family had a Small vegetable Garden with Beans potatoes and Corn. They ground the Corn into a meal called polenta boiled the meal until it was thick poured it onto a slab of Wood and served it with meat sauce when there was meat cheese when there was no meat and Plain when there was neither. Many of the old people there almost never ate anything else until the 1950s. Many of the men of the Village emigrated to Germany and other european countries As Well As to South and North America in search of jobs. Some like the Pope father came Back to spend the Winter playing cards in the bars on the Village Square while the Snow piled up often covering the ground floor windows. Boys who wanted to go beyond the fifth Grade studied in Church run schools and Many became priests. Now a few medium sized industries making eyeglass frames and motorcycle helmets and the new Hospital in nearby a Ordo provide an outlet for labor Althou Hyoung people face unemployment there just As they do in the rest of the country. A few go into the police Force Assai instructors others spend a year in Syria saudi Arabia or Algeria working 10-hour Days on construction Sites in 115-degree heat and coming Home once every two months for a people of Canale d a Ordo watch the tourists arrive with a mixture of Hope and caution. They know that tourism is almost the Only Field open to develop the Village. They also know that the people pouring through town picking up bits of Wood lying about the Luciani Garden and pocketing them As souvenirs could be Only temporary. The stars and stripes Page 9
