St. Peter Square filled up early with thousands anxious to see the Pope
Mark Dewart '74 takes photos to commemorate the event.
Wabash staffer Violet Mayberry and '14 grad Nathan Chapman check out the view
We were near the upper middle of the seating area - this view was behind our seats.
No long lense, but still managed this shot of the Pope from near our seats.
The dome of St. Peter's basillica
Our group gets ready to explore Vatican Museum
Some of the world's most important religiously themed art works are in the Vatican collection,.
This statue is part of the Trojan horse poem.
Nathan Chapman '14 took over the leadership role for this one stop in front of the sculpture. He and Rob Barber '17 had done a report on the piece of art during the second semester.
Our first look into St. Peter's Basillica
Michelangelo's Pieta
The tomb of Pope John Paul II in St. Peters.
Michelangelo designed the St. Peter's dome.
Photos really don't begin to capture the size of the world's largest church.
A mandatory photo at the Vatican - shots of the Swiss Guard.
A late afternoon, and now empty, look at St. Peter's Square.
The Wabash College Alumni and Friends travel group is wrapping up a stay in Rome and will fly home Friday. Wednesday's highlight was visiting the Vatican for the Pope's weekly audience.
About half the group rose early Wednesday to get to the Vatican, thanks to tickets acquired by Mark Dewart '74. The huge throng roared as Pope Francis rode around St. Peter's Square. Part of the fun was the announcement of visiting groups. The travelers stood and cheered before the Pope's appearance when it was announced "the alumni of Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana" were among the visitors.
The rest of the day was devoted to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Cathedral, church of the Pope and the world's largest cathedral.
Thursday will be the last full day in Italy. The group will spend most of the day touring ancient Rome including the Forum and dinner near the Pantheon Thursday night.
The group flies home and arrives late Friday night into Chicago O'Hare airport.
Updates and lots of photos will be posted to the Wabash College Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The group returns home June 27.