Buon Natale from Rome! Apologies for being a bit late on the blogging about Rome, at first I had trouble finding an internet café and then realised we have a computer right where we are staying, apart from that though…I’ve been busy seeing the sites!
We arrived into Rome late on Monday night and as we came up the Via della Conciliazione the dome of St Peter’s Basilica was immediately before us. At night I think it is even more impressive with the lights positioned to highlight the architectural features. The dome comes out as a blue glow which complements the gold cross on top and the white stone pillars. As our taxi whizzed past the lights in the papal apartment were still on and it was somewhat consoling to know that the Vicar of Christ was still up working while the city of Rome went off to sleep.
Tuesday was our first full day in Rome and we spent most of it in St Peter’s. We were in the basilica at 7.30am that morning as many priests come in to say private Masses between 7 and 8am. As soon as we walked in the door who do I spot also walking in but Monsignor Millea who is one of the papal MC’s. I met him in the preparation for and week of World Youth Day so it was really nice to be able to chat with him again post event.
After breakfast we returned to the basilica for a proper visit. Fr Richard led me through a very thorough and interesting tour of the largest church in the world. I have to admit though; I really thought it would be much larger inside but I am told the perspective is designed in such a way that it gives the impression of being smaller than it actually is. When you do look up and see the rail where people walk around the inside of the dome it becomes a little clearer how massive it really is. This is the church of all Christians and there has been a church in this spot since the 3rd century. The current basilica is about 500 years old and it replaced the one before which got demolished as it was too small (it was still massive but just not as massive as this one). The basilica and the Vatican sit atop what was once a cemetery and it was in that cemetery that St Peter, the first Pope, was buried. In the afternoon we were thankfully able to take the scavi tour which takes you beneath the high altar of the basilica right to what they confirmed in 1950’s were most likely the bones of St Peter. The current high altar is the fourth on top of St Peter and in the tour we saw and heard the story of how the small grave that St Peter was in gave rise to a monument in his honour and then eventually the church that stands in that place today. It was amazing to see crypts that were 2000 years old and then to see the place that St Peter was buried.
One other very noticeable thing about the Vatican is the people that come to visit and pray there. Every race, culture and age comes to Rome to enter into the heart of the church. It has been a moving experience to encounter the faith of so many people, especially during the Christmas midnight Mass. I got down to the Vatican about9pm to line up for midnight Mass and I reckon I would have been about 1000th in the queue. They line us up in one big circle round the square (ironically the ‘square’ is a circle) and about 10.15pm the doors are opened and everyone, young, old, nuns, brothers and priests all run for the entry. You do have to have a ticket to enter but I think they print off more tickets than there are seats! I was happy though, I got about half way down the basilica. Mind you the Mass is a bit of a tourist attraction and an opportunity to see the Pope so the entry procession is more like the red carpet at the Oscars, cameras everywhere! I think it wouldn’t hurt to ban cameras at the midnight Mass as it might have the effect of getting rid of the tourists so that there is more room for that faithful and it becomes the truly spiritual occasion it is meant to be. It was however a beautiful liturgy and I am very glad that I was able to attend.
Christmas Day in Rome was overcast and cool. My first appointment of the day was with the Holy Father as he gave his ubi et orbi address (to the city and to the world). I have yet to download the English text from the Vatican website so I’m not too sure what he said but I believe it was pretty good. I was seated near the front of the square when he gave his address from the logia (the balcony) and I was amongst hundreds of very excited school students from Ireland.
The rest of the day was an easy one which was nice. I went back inside the Basilica and was going to spend some time in the Blessed Sacrament chapel but it was unfortunately closed so I had another look around. Really the whole place is one big prayer and to walk around with that in mind brings about a different experience to going around with a camera. The basilica now holds the incorrupt body of Pope John XXIII (+ 1963) which was recently moved from the tombs of the Popes down in the crypt so a lot of people stop before e his earthly remains to ask for his intercession. Speaking of the tombs of the Popes, we also visited the crypt and stopped before the tomb of John Paul II who lay in the spot John XXIII did before he was moved. After the tomb of St Peter, John Paul II attracts the greatest number of visitors and has two men standing guard in front of his tomb all day long. Three is a place where you can stop and pray though and I asked for the intercession of John Paul the great for the many intentions people have asked for and those within the hearts of my family and friends.
Christmas day also saw me walk over to the famed Trevi Fountain where I threw my two cents in over my shoulder (I have been told since the wish is so that you return to Rome, I thought at the time you could make your own wish, oh well we’ll see which happens first). I also had some gelato which seemed like the thing to do there as there were so many gelato shops open. The Trevi fountain sure is a popular place though, the people just pack in and photos are being taken all over the place. I noticed that the fountain was built by one of the Popes so it must have some sort of church-related history attached to it as well.
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