Everybody kissed his ring. When he came to me he stopped and held his hands over my head and said sentences in Latin. I do not know what he said—it was done too rapidly for translation.
I looked up into his face and said—“Pope Pius, I thank you.” Webb and those men wept. And strangely, the attendant who was with the Pope put his arms about my shoulders and said, “Oh blessed art thou among women”
(I wonder why he said that? Do you know?) It was all so strange. We never knew---it must have been something very special.
Johnson:……..(lost in changing seat)
Bethune: He might have been calling(?) all the darker people of the world and he probably was paying a tribute to the rest of them. But there were Miller and other dark people there. But it did something to me—I don’t know, but it did something to me.
And I think when I was in Rome we visited St. Peter’s; down to the Alpian Way, and out on the Seven Hills there where Caesar and Brutus had their quarrel; the many interesting cathedrals—especially St. where hangs the painting of the Last Supper.
Johnson: I was especially interested in Lady Astor. How did she happen to know you? Had you met her before?
Bethune: No. She knew who I was. She had gone to an entertainment for Lindberg and saw in the paper that I was an educator and she wanted to come over and do something for me. She was beautiful to me. She said—“I am particularly proud because you are real, a real Negro, a real American—The things you are doing are so real and I want you to know I appreciate them. She is wonderful herself. The group with me…she was very generous in her whole setting for us.
I had a great experience in going around the Mediterranean. I was impressed with the cliff dwellers and the poverty of the people over there and the ignorance of the people in Lower Italy.
