“He is exactly what he appears to be.”ĭraper said one of the most moving parts of the project for him was traveling to Buenos Aires, capital of the pope’s native Argentina, and interviewing many of the pope’s friends. “For me, it captures how compassionate Pope Francis is,” the photographer said. Peter’s Square, tenderly embracing a young man wearing a ball cap. One of Yoder’s favorite photos of Pope Francis, which appears near the beginning of the book, shows the pontiff in St.
“This is a story of God’s grace, at work in that man in white.” “That’s what he (the pope) has to stand before every day in his ministry,” Cardinal Wuerl said. Reflecting on that photo projected on a screen behind the stage, Cardinal Wuerl noted that as the cardinals elect a new pope in a conclave, Michelangelo’s painting looms before them, reminding them that their actions will be judged by God. Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, one week before Pope Francis’ historic visit to the nation’s capital. Those two journalists, along with National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Susan Goldberg, shared the stories behind that cover story and book in a September National Geographic Live panel discussion, held in the auditorium at the society’s headquarters in Washington. Yoder’s photo of that scene was used on the cover of National Geographic’s August 2015 issue titled “Pope Francis Remakes the Vatican,” and it also appears on the cover of National Geographic’s new book, “Pope Francis and the New Vatican.” That book features photos by Yoder and essays by Robert Draper, who wrote the magazine’s related cover story.
One veteran Vatican photographer later said he believed that was the only photo ever taken of a pope alone in the Sistine Chapel. “I knew it was the only shot I was going to get. For one of the few times of the year, the Sistine Chapel was empty, and Pope Francis stood alone in the gateway to the chapel with his back to the camera, seemingly contemplating Michelangelo’s dramatic mural of the Last Judgment on the far wall. Then on Christmas Day 2014, Yoder saw the shot he had been looking for, unfolding before him for a few seconds. “I made sure not to get in the way!” Yoder said. But while he had taken many powerful photos, he was still searching for a cover photo, a single, striking image that would reflect this pope and his special role in today’s world.Īlong the way, he had gained unprecedented access to the pope and the Vatican, after he befriended the photographers from L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper, who offered him help and guidance. Over a six-month period, he had taken tens of thousands of photos for a planned cover story on Pope Francis for his magazine. WASHINGTON (CNS) - A year ago on Christmas Day, National Geographic photographer Dave Yoder got an unexpected Christmas gift that he will never forget.
By Mark Zimmermann, Catholic News Service
0 kommentar(er)
