Boy 1: What do you think the pope will do for the rest of the day?
Boy 2: No idea. Good question.
Boy 1: I mean, what does he do all day?
Boy 2: I hear he’s always busy with his books.
Boy 1: Always??
Boy 2: Yep.
Boy 3: That’s an exaggeration.
Boy 2: No, that’s what they say. Pope John Paul II was always on the road, maybe in disguise, but he is always writing books.
(Long thoughtful pause. Boy 1 rethinks ambition to become pope. Boy 2 congratulates himself on knowing everything there is to know about the pope.)
Boy 3: He must go to the doctor often.
Boy 2: Doctor? Why?
Boy 3: Popes always have some problem. I heard he also has one, but I never understood what it is.
Boy 2: No, no. I’m sure he’s fine.
Boy 2 sure knew how to give a great sound bite:
"Life here in the Vatican is really hard."
"We're so tired all the time, with all the masses and prayers."
"If we had more free time, it would be better."
"If I met the pope, I would ask him over for lunch."
They may be Vatican altar boys, but they're also just regular pre-teen (teenage?) boys. I can imagine them seeing this video someday and thinking holey moley who let me say that out loud and how did it get all the way to actually being on television...
