To the Pope’s personal secretary, Gabriele Boccali

E VIII, 3565

He informs him of the cancellation of the audience with Archbishop Gastaldi, to whom he was supposed to deliver a petition - he is awaiting instructions from the Pope

Turin, 2 January 1882

Your Excellency,

What I feared has happened. I made a mess of it, excuse my language. This morning at 10:30, I went to see our Archbishop Gastaldi, who was certainly informed of the purpose of my visit. There was no stranger in the antechamber. The secretary, who was a past pupil of ours, recognised me and assured me that I would be granted an audience within a few moments.

After about three quarters of an hour, a lay gentleman arrived and was quickly ushered forward. It was past 11:30 when the secretary came to tell me that His Excellency had business to attend to with the King's Procurator, and afterwards he had to meet with his lawyer, and therefore he could not grant me an audience.

I asked if he had mentioned any other day or time when I could come; the same secretary replied, looking very mortified and embarrassed, that he had no instructions. Please note that in order to facilitate admission to the audience, I decided to go on the day and at the time of the public audience so that I would not be told that it was an inconvenient time.

In that moment of uncertainty, I thought it best to have the Bishop’s Secretary deliver Fr Bonetti’s plea with the following words: ‘Give this plea to the Archbishop and tell him that I have come for the reason indicated therein and that I have been instructed to do so by the competent authority.’ Again no response.

I came home and am waiting for further instructions from the Holy Father, which I will carry out promptly and with as much calm and prudence as possible. It is also worth noting that in the past, on the four occasions when I was admitted to the audience at different times, I always ended up achieving nothing and could only take a violent lashing out away with me.

I humbly thank you and pay my respects, while with deep veneration I have the honour of being able to profess that I am

Your Excellency’s

most obliged servant,

Fr John Bosco