Utahn cherishes visit, memory of ailing pope

AMERICAN FORK — For the majority of the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics, a face-to-face meeting with the pope — let alone an accompanying handshake — is merely fantasy.

Anne Marie Gunther, who hails from American Fork, is not a Roman Catholic, but her meeting with Pope John Paul II was real and has become a cherished memory following the pontiff's death last Saturday.

The 27-year-old Brigham Young University graduate who is not only a Utah County local but a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was in Rome last summer as a staff member accompanying a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife.

Gunther is Lynne Cheney's director of scheduling and she, along with a few other staff members, were waiting in the Vatican's holding room for word on whether the pope would meet with the vice president and his party.

Because Pope John Paul II was in poor health at the time, no one was certain whether a meeting would occur.

Suddenly, members of the Swiss Guard — the security staff for the pontiff — opened the doors and ushered Cheney, his wife and the staff members into the room where the pope was seated.

"He blessed a rosary for me and touched my hand," Gunther said. "I treasure it. I have it in a little chest with a number of other treasures I'm collecting from my time here (in Washington, D.C.)."

Gunther originally went to Washington to teach elementary school at an inner city school in the city's Anacostia area. She liked the area so much — despite having her car stolen and a number of other interesting experiences — she decided to live there and volunteered to help with the 2000 presidential inauguration for George W. Bush.

One thing led to another and she found herself working for Vice President Cheney for two years before going to work for his wife.

While excited over meeting the pope, Gunther didn't immediately phone her family to tell them about the event.

Instead, she casually slipped a photograph of the occasion into an envelope and mailed it to her parents, Blaine and Linda Gunther of American Fork.

"They called me right away," Gunther said. "They were excited for me."

Gunther said the meeting makes for a special memory as she watches television images of the procession of faithful Catholics lining up to catch a glimpse of their beloved pontiff.

"It was a very brief visit. He was very ill, so it was a really rare thing."

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