Papa Francesco and St Peter's Square at Night

I'm this close to Pope Francis!

This is a short post; mainly to keep track of the key events in my life which took place in 2019. I was privileged to be a participant in the Caritas Internationalis General Assembly held in May this year.  The GA opened with a Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.  Definitely one of my Bucket List items! 

It was a wonderful experience, sitting there in the Basilica with Catholics from all over the world around me.  The Universal Church!

After mass, there was a reception and dinner.  We had the pleasure of walking back to our bus through St Peter's Square.  What a serene atmosphere it was, in the still and peace of the night.

A few days later, we had the additional honour of a Papal Audience.  Truly a moment to remember.

St Peter's Square at Night

Rome and the Romantic Poets

I visited Rome in May this year, for the first time since my pilgrimage 10 years ago.   Unfortunately, I didn't have much time for sight-seeing as the main purpose of my visit was to attend the one-in-four-years assembly which my Catholic charity has in Rome.

Temple of Aesculapius, Gardens of Villa Borghese

But I did get there one day earlier and managed to visit a few places I've not been to before - the grounds of the Villa Borghese, and the Keats-Shelley Museum.  They are quite near each other, and make quite a pleasant day's sightseeing.

The Villa Borghese was originally owned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, hence the name.  The Villa holds one of the top art collections in Rome - unfortunately I didn't realise I had to book well in advance to enter (something to note for future reference).  So I could only visit the Borghese Gardens, the park surrounding the Villa and itself one of the largest public parks in Rome.  The park is also the site of a  famous horse show arena, the Piazza di Siena, hence the statues of horses I saw there.  I didn't realise it but there was a famous horse show going on at the time - so the grounds were full of caravans and the like.

The Church of Trinita dei Monti

From the park, I took a slow walk to the Spanish steps.  The Spanish Steps are so named because the square they lead down to (Piazza di Spagna, or the Spanish Square) houses the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See which is still here today. It's one of the most famous squares/stairs in Rome, made famous by the movie, Roman Holiday starring none other than Audrey Hepburn.

But, the steps are really called Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti in Italian as they lead up to the Church of Trinità dei Monti.  The Italians have recently stopped visitors from sitting on these famous stairs but when I was there, the restrictions were not in place and it was a rather nice, happy atmosphere, of people sitting and chatting and taking in the atmosphere.

T he other strange little irony about this area is that this Spanish Square is practically the "English Quarter" of Rome!  The English loved Italy, attracted by the warm weather (so different from the rainy weather back home) and good food.  Many came here for the opportunity to study classical Rome and others to admire the architecture and art, and to be inspired by the glorious scenery.  So around this area are cafes such as  Cafe Grecco, the oldest coffee house in Rome where luminaries such as Byron and Goethe used to hang out.  Another English favourite was Babington's, an English tea room just on the left of the Spanish stairs (as you ascend the stairs).  It's been around since 1893!

John Keat's room

On the right of the Spanish steps is where John Keats stayed, and died.  This building is now the Keats-Shelley Museum, dedicated to the memory of Keats, Shelley and Byron (who lived across the square at No. 66). Since I occasionally fancy myself a poet I decided that this was where I would spend my precious afternoon in Rome.

Indeed, the tragedy of Keats' short life is preserved here in this little museum.  There are just a few rooms in this little museum - a main living area, and two bedrooms.  Keats' room holds his bed, a chest of drawers and his death mask beside his bed.

He was just 25 years old when he passed away of tuberculosis, convinced that he had not achieved anything in life.  His published works were few, and due to his ill-health, he could not marry the lady he loved, Fanny Brawne.  He was buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.  As per his instruction, his name is not on the tombstone and it only states that "Here one lies whose name was writ on water", ie a name which doesn't leave a mark but is washed away as the water flows...

English Romantic Poets in Rome

Despite his own modest assessment of his worth, Keats today is regarded as one of the geniuses of English literature with his famous odes, such as Ode to a Nightingale, Ode to a Grecian Urn, and my favourite (which I have referred to already once on this blog), Ode to Autumn.

Sadly, the three Romantic poets all died young.  Percy Bysshe Shelley, Keats' good friend, drowned after the boat he was in floundered in a heavy storm.   He was just 29 years old.  Shelley's widow, Mary, is of course very famous in her own right thanks to her novel, Frankenstein.  In fact her creation is probably more famous than she is!

The last of the three, Lord Byron, or George Gordon Byron, died at the age of 36 years, from a disease caught whilst he was fighting for the Greeks in the Greek War of Independence.  For that he was considered a hero amongst the Greeks, a true Romantic who died for his ideals but whose memory lives amongst them still.

I came away reflecting about the transience of life.  To everything there is a season.  But truth, beauty, love of nature, freedom of expression, life and liberty, the importance of being true to oneself - these were indeed the externals which the Romantics stood for and whilst they passed away, their poetry lives on and their message with them.

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

For my Christmas present, my very clever sister gave me "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling", by Ross King - a fascinating account of how Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Along the way, he paints a picture of the politics of Italy and the Church at the time, and the dynamics between the Pope, Julius II. and the artistic community.

But what I really enjoyed was the description of how Michelangelo learnt the art of fresco as he painted the ceiling, how he grew in confidence over the course of time, and especially the author's insights into Michelangelo's creative thought process as he worked on the different panels of the painting.  I like how he also integrated the story of Raphael, who was working on the frescos for the Pope's study and rooms around the same time.

I had of course visited the Sistine chapel just about one and a half years ago (as recorded in a previous post) and craned my neck looking up at the ceiling the whole time.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos :-( But I recall looking at the ceiling and thinking that there was such a contrast between one half of the ceiling, where the panels appeared to be more crowded with smaller figures, as opposed to the majesty of the other half, where the masterpieces of God creating dark and light, and the creation of Adam (with the famous finger) were.  The book explains that the more crowded panels were painted first.  Thereafter, the scaffolding for that half of the chapel were removed and Michelangelo got his first look at the frescos from the floor of the chapel.  He realised that they were not impactful due to the size and composition, and thereafter increased the size of the figures and simplified the composition for the second half of the ceiling. 

These, and more insights, can be found in the book.   I do recommend it for any art lover planning to visit Rome/the Sistine Chapel.  The only downside is that there were not enough colour plates in the book.  I would have loved more.  Instead, I had to look at the paintings online on the Vatican Museum's website - the virtual tour of the chapel - whilst reading the relevant section in  the book.

The Troubadour of Creation

Today, we had a special treat! We went to La Verna, the place where St Francis received the stigmata from our Lord.

La Verna is somewhat off the beaten track. Even our tour leader and our accompanying priest have not been here. But our driver felt that we needed to see it and agreed to drive into the mountains to get here. I'm truly glad he did. I can recognise why Francis felt that he was so close to God there. The cool mountain air, the glorious view of the surrounding regions and most of all, the beautiful song of the birds in the trees.

Most of the day following was spent in travel. We reached Antibes a little on the late side. But it was worth it. And since this post is so short, I'll just end off with one of the most famous prayers composed by St Francis- the Canticle of the Creatures, also known as the Canticle of the Sun.

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,

Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honour and all blessing.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong

and no human is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be you, my Lord, with all Your creatures,

especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day,

and through whom You give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour;

and bears a likeness of You, Most High one.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven

You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord,through Brother Wind,

and through the air, cloudy and serene,

and every kind of weather

through which you give sustance to your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister water,

who is very useful and humble

and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother fire,

through whom You light the night,

and he is beautiful and playful

and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,

who sustains and governs us,

and who produces various fruit

with coloured flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,

and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed those who endure in peace, for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,

from whom no one living can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin.

Blessed are those whom death

will find in Your most holy will,

for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks

and serve Him with great humility

More of Francis' prayers on the OFM website.
More of my photos plus a video of trees and birdsong here.

Nothing like a Pooch of the Day

Since St Francis loved all creatures, it seems appropriate to revert to the pooch theme. Here are a cute pair, seen outside the lower basilica of St Francis.

It does not seem to me that the Italians are such pet lovers as the French. But nonetheless...

Visiting St Francis

One of my favourite days thus far, the visit with Francis of Assisi! Indeed, he is one of my favourite saints. The joy with which he lives is infectious.

We managed to “hit” all the Francis spots today – (not in order visited) the “stable” where he was born (!), his parents' home, the church of S Damiano where the Christ on the crucifix spoke to him (ck out this post for an earlier reference to the crucifix); the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels which encloses the Porzioncula which is a little chapel where Francis and his early followers stayed; the Basilica of Saint Clare, and the Basilica of Saint Francis. Now it seems odd to me that Francis was born in a stable given that he was the cherished son of a wealthy merchant but according to the guide, his mother wanted him to be as close to Jesus as possible and so found a stable to give birth to. It is fairly near the family home, but I still have my little doubts. Anyway, force of tradition and all that.

We started the day in the vale of Assisi, just below the town. The Basilica of St Mary of the Angels dominates this little town. It is a truly gigantic building, enclosing within it the tiny little Porzioncula which Francis loved so much. We walked around the building, past the famous thornless rose garden (Francis wanted to punish himself for some moment of doubt, threw himself into the rose bush only to have the thorns disappear). We can't go inside but from a distance, I couldn't see any thorns. We also had Sunday mass here in the basilica – it was a moving experience especially as I did the first reading :-)

We then went up to Assisi proper. At this point, the rain started pouring down, so out came our umbrellas and raincoats. Even so, it could not take away from the beauty of this town. What can I say - overall, I loved Assisi. I love the beautiful old medieval town perched half way up the hill, looking down on the green fields below and the beautiful cupola of the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels below. I love the old cobbled streets and arches and the little paintings above the doors of the buildings. I could stay here for a long long time. The churches, like San Damiano, are perched on the hill side and they too have beautiful views of the countryside below.

The town itself is very proud of its two major saints, St Francis and St Clare. St Clare is the co-founder of the second Franciscan order, the Poor Clares or Clarissas which is an enclosed order. Clare had a younger sister, St Agnes of Assisi, who is also a saint and buried near her. Poor Agnes, overshadowed by her sister even though she is a saint! We never even noticed her grave. But we did see the body of St Clare, who is an incorruptible. Unlike Pio, she is a true incorruptible but her face has been covered by a wax mask as it has dried out over time.

One highlight of our visit was the two Basilicas of St Francis, one atop the other but of the two somehow I preferred the lower Basilica with its beautifully frescoed ceiling. Our tour leader pointed out the famous painting of St Francis by Cimabue. Painted after Francis' death, it is said to be a faithful depiction of Francis – a short, not particularly handsome man with ears that stuck out. But possessed, it is said, of a charm of manner and persuasive tongue which moved all his followers. We spent some time in the upper basilica going through the famous frescoes by Giotto. The upper basilica was the one damaged in the earthquake but fortunately we did not seem to see much remaining damage, except for that portion of the ceiling which came crashing down. Unfortunately no photos are allowed of the basilica.

We had free time after the upper basilica. Wandered the old streets, looking for a nice version of the famous St Damiano crucifix. By the way, we did not see the original. The problem with coming to Assisi on a Sunday is that parts of the churches are not accessible as mass was being held. The crucifix was in one of those inaccessible areas, which was in the Basilica of St Clare.

Ended up with dinner, in a restaurant with a great view of the vale of Assisi. Then back we went to our lovely hotel room.

More Assisi shots here. More on the Order of Friars, Minor, here.

Valle de Assisi Resort

No shot for Lanciano, so let me just insert a shot of our hotel room in Assis and also our dinner. This is a brand new (3 month) hotel and I must say that it is rather nice! First time that we have had nice fluffy towels in our rooms rather than the thin, large dishcloth-like towels we have had thus far plus a nice toiletries selection. Oh, shallow, I know, especially when we are on a pilgrimage but who doesn't like a nice toiletries selection?

Dinner was one of the better meals thus far. Definitely the tastiest pasta, with a little bit of olive, pine nuts, minced meat (I think pork). I am sad to say that when on tour, you definitely don't get the best of Italian cuisine – mass cooking is what we get. So it is really a pleasure when we have a yummy meal like this one.

Ye of Little Faith

Today we drove from Rotondo to Lanciano, the site of the first Eucharistic miracle. Of course, I had again read up on the history of the miracle. The Basilian priest (his name has not been recorded) had doubts over the Real Presence of God in the Eucharist and these doubts entered his mind when he raised the host at the point of consecration. Much to his amazement, it turned into the body and blood of Christ.

We got to Lanciano just about 2 hours out from Rotondo, and started our visit out with mass in the little room behind the altar of the main church. There is a window into the church at the back of the room and this looks directly out onto the monstrance containing the miracle. The blood has coagulated somewhat and the flesh has also dried but it remains to this day, undecayed.

After mass, we went into the main church to spend some time venerating the Eucharist in prayer. Thereafter, I took a short walk around the church – there was a large group of schoolchildren present. Outside, we spotted another pilgrimage group, this one wearing little green scarves around their necks, I suppose to distinguish them from other Italian groups. One thing about our group, no scarves needed. We are the only Asians about.

We left Lanciano after lunch to travel on to Assisi (we expected to get there in the evening in time for dinner).

I think it was around this time that our tour leader made a comment which I find very relevant, so I will repeat it here: miracles are wonderful to see – but at the end of it, it is sad to note that God finds it necessary to remind us from time to time that He is really here. This is especially true, I find, in the case of this first ever eucharistic miracle at Lanciano.

Meeting Padre Pio

We spent most of the day travelling to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home for many years of Capuchin priest Padre and now Saint Pio. To be honest, whilst I had heard of Padre Pio previously I did not know very much about him. But in preparation for this trip, I read a biography of Pio and was truly amazed. The gifts of bilocation, clairvoyance, reading of souls, stigmatist. A life filled with suffering but sustained by the Eucharist.

The morning was enlivened by an experience of the passionate Italian character. We waited some 45 minutes for our bus. Our tour leader called the coach agency to check on the driver and learnt that it was caught in traffic. But the agency head was not pleased with the driver and (apparently) scolded him for being late. He protested that he had woken up at 4.40am after sleeping at midnight checking the routes. Despite this early start, he could not get to the hotel on time because of Rome's heavy traffic. Our tour leader observed that he was surprised that the tour agency had not booked a hotel room for the driver; important so that he would start off the day well rested when he picked us up, instead of already been on the road for a couple of hours. Anyway, the driver argued (at great length, and very noisily) with his agency on the phone en route – note that the nature of the Italian is such that he has to gesture every now and then, taking his hand off the wheel in the process. I saw Father put his hand in his pocket for his Rosary, to pray for a safe journey and for the driver.

Indeed, we were to spend much time saying our rosary. Father is building up slowly. We said two rosaries, the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. Unfortunately the second round was after lunch and it was a drowsy group repeating our Hail Marys.

Despite the late start, we got to Rotondo for our mass, scheduled at 3.15pm and to be con-celebrated by Father and a priest accompanying an Irish group. Mass was in the original church of Santa Maria della Grazia (Our Lady of Grace), in which Pio himself had celebrated mass and said confessions. It was a votive mass for St Pio, and was really another celebration of the universal church, where two groups of pilgrims from different countries gather together in a third country to attend the same mass which all can follow, singing songs known by all.

Thereafter, we saw a few videos and toured the little museum of Padre Pio. But the high point of the visit was definitely the time spent at the side of the body of Pio. The serene face of the saint, resting in his glass coffin, surrounded by those who had come to venerate him. Pio, in his long life, had thousands upon thousands of fans. In fact, if anything, he was able to generate the kind of passionate following which people normally bestow on pop stars and actors. The museum featured some of the letters which Pio received, apparently so many that the Capuchins had to deploy their friars to help open and answer his mail. Similarly, the queues for his confessional were so long that a queue ticketing system had to be introduced. The biography also describes how a group of local, “Pious Ladies” were so jealous of the time the saint spent on anyone else that they would push and shove aside people who were waiting for him at the confessional. Indeed, as the biography states, it would seem that his greatest trial was not so much the stigmata which marked his hands, feet and side but dealing with the masses who came to see him every day, and the problems the Pious Ladies gave him!

We had some time after the group session to wander around the area on our own – to look at the extension of the original church. We retraced many of our steps – it is so peaceful to go around on one's own. We walked to the top of the church, to the choir loft and saw the crucifix from which Pio received the stigmata, also to the museum where we saw some of the relics which he had left behind. The room in which he lived and died has also been left intact. Later we walked outside to see the hospital which Pio had built – what started off a simple medical facility which is now one of the top hospitals in Italy.

S Pio is a modern saint, who lived and died in the 20th century. His life was marked with a lot of physical suffering, culminating in the bearing of the stigmata for most of his life. Yet he maintained his constant faith and love for God. What he achieved during this life of suffering is indeed an inspiration to all of us of what a true saint of God can do!

More pix of Padre Pio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taking5/tags/padrepio/

New Houses, San Giovanni Rotondo

San Giovanni Rotondo is a growing town. Lots of new building and houses, fueled by the activity around Pio. Not the best photo -a bit dull.

Next thing (hopefully) is a train station. It is a little difficult to get to otherwise (only a bus from Foggia).

Martyrs, Icons, Romans, Fountains

Rome is an amazing city. Here, you can visit Ancient Rome, Christian Rome, Italian Art/Culture/Fashion. Rome has so much to see and we are only here three days!!!

We started off today with a visit to the Basilica of St Maria Maggiore – the last of the four papal basilicas. It is also called the basilica of Our Lady of Snows, because Our Lady appeared to the Pope one August night and directed him to build a church where the snow lay... and indeed the next day the snow covered the ground on the hill.

What makes this church so special however is that it is apparently the only one which has not been rebuilt. St John Lateran has been destroyed by the barbarians, fire and an earthquake; St Paul's partially destroyed by fire; St Peter's completely re-built. But St Maria Maggiore is the original structure – there have been additions and renovations but it is essentially the same building first constructed in the 4th Century, which means that the building is 1600 years old!!!! There are two side chapels (newer ones), the Pauline and Sistine chapels, where Popes Paul V/Clement VIII and Sixtus V are buried respectively (now I realise that Sistine is after Sixtus...). So not all popes are buried in the Vatican Crypt.

The highlight of the church however is the relic it contains - little bits of the manger in which Jesus was laid. One is of course a little curious why St Helena was so convinced it was the one...

Maybe its age and air of antiquity is why I find this basilica so much more engaging than the others. I am not so enamoured of huge basilicas which are certainly very grand and imposing. They invite admiration but less so, prayer. I like little churches with inviting little shrines which encourage you to stay a while and pray. This ancient church, with its beautiful old mosaics, really had a deep prayerful atmosphere.

The next port of call was the Basilica of S Prassede. SS Prassede and Prudencia were the daughters of Pudens, who was a pupil of St Peter. The two ladies were martyred and their bones were brought to be entombed in this basilica together with those of other martyrs.

Oh, and there is also another relic – the pillar of the Flagellation. Brought by by St Helen (again), to Rome. Good thing for her that as mother of the Emperor, she had the authority to do whatever she wanted to do. By contrast, for today's pilgrims – it's not something we could have brought backin our check-in luggage.

We had mass in St Alphonsus which features the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. As there are a number of OLPS parishioners in the group, they must have really appreciated it. Apparently, the icon was painted in Crete and brought to Rome by a merchant, on a ship. The ship got into trouble, but was saved when the sailors prayed in front of the icon for help. Hence the name of the icon. Here, it was nice to see that (unlike the large basilicas) they still provide the old fashioned candle which you actually light. The big churches tend to have these sensor activated candles - you drop your coin in the offertory box beneath and the candle lights up.

After lunch, we visited the Colosseum – for a brief photo stop. Thereafter, we went to the Pantheon – ah yes, the Pantheon. I remembered it well from my last visit here. I still find it incredible that this Roman temple has been able to stand for almost 1,800 years. Of course, this was because it was converted into a church which meant that no one would tear it down. Apparently, when Michelangelo built the dome of St Peter's, he deliberately made it just a little smaller than the Pantheon's dome. Besides the artist Raphael, the first king of a united Italy, Vittorio Emmanuel, is buried here.

Finally, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. Of course, we had to throw the coin in. I threw a coin here in the fountain many years ago and indeed here I am back in Rome. According to Roberta, however, if you throw 2 coins you meet someone new and if you throw in 3 coins you breakup. Hmmm..... we saw a bridal couple by the fountain and figured that they should just throw one coin in! We were given a little free time at the fountain before rejoining the bus. I had my first and only gelato in Rome here. That's what happens when one goes for a pilgrimage....

Street Vendors, Rome

Unlike my recollection of Florence, Rome has surprisingly few street vendors. But they all are the same – not too many wares out on the street, just enough that they can gather them up quickly at the first sign of the police...

Upon this Rock

This morning, we went to visit the catacombs of Rome – Santa Domitillla's. I was fascinated by the whole prospect of visiting the catacombs. The guide however dashed some of my illusions/ preconceptions about the catacombs. I thought it was this early Christian hideaway but he told us that no, the early Christians certainly did not live there.

First, the Romans knew exactly where the catacombs were so it could not be regarded as a sanctuary. Second, the catacombs themselves did not support life – smell of rotting bodies would have been a real turn-off. There was not enough oxygen, they were very dark (and apparently an oil lamp only lasts 20 minutes due to the lack of oxygen). They were left strictly for the burial of the dead and some prayers would be said there but not a proper mass.

On the walls, though, were the signs of the early Christians – the fish (the greek word for “fish” is an acronym for Jesus Christ Son of God and Saviour), the good shepherd, fish and anchor, the chi-rho and the alpha and omega on the walls of the catacombs. We could not take pictures inside so this photo was taken outside.

The guide also took us around a small portion of the catacombs. The corridors were narrow and ceilings were low, and there were little niches in the walls where the bodies were put. The individual chambers were also decorated depending on the wealth of the family concerned.

We had our mass in the catacombs, in a small chamber. It was a little crowded for our group but it added to the atmosphere of the mass, that just like the early Christians, we were just together in a small room to pray and worship our Lord. Here in Rome, what I find most moving is that we reconnect to the beginning of the church, to the early Christian fathers and the early days of our Faith, creating a true sense of continuity within the church.

After lunch (another Chinese restaurant) we went off to the Vatican City. We started first with the Vatican museum but sadly we did not have the time to go through it in detail. We walked through a few beautiful rooms but the highlight was the spectacular Sistine Chapel, featuring the frescos of Michelangelo. I had seen them many years ago, prior to their being cleaned and frankly it was hard to retain an impression of this dark and dingy wall and ceiling. But cleaned of the grime and smoke of centuries, the fresh and powerful colours of Michelangelo's original painting shone brightly again. We were not allowed to take photos, but I saw quite a few people sneaking shots.

Leaving the museum, we came across this water fountain. Rome has a number of water fountains, and the water is all drinkable. I seem to remember this from my earlier visit here. There are a number of such fountains around Rome, our guide also showed us one little one which looks like just some drainpipe on the street.

Our next stop was the crypt, including the shrine above St Peter's grave, which was also near the grave of Pope John Paul II (JPII). For many the highlight was being near JPII's grave but I thought of Peter, leaving Rome to flee to safety, only to meet a stranger on the way who, in response to the question, “Quo Vadis”, indicated that he was going to Rome to die again (or Eo Romam iterum crucifigi). Peter, realising it was Jesus, turned back to Rome to face his martyrdom. No photos allowed in the crypt and we were not allowed to linger by JPII's grave.

We then spent some time in the great Basilica of St Peter's. The church is magnificent and I was immediately struck by the rays of light coming in through the windows in the dome (by Michelangelo), as shown in the photo here. We saw the beautiful Pieta, also by Michelangelo - my mother whispered critically in my ear, “the proportions are all wrong”. Well, yes. There is no way a small little woman (the way I envisage Our Lady) could carry the body of the Christ over her knees in that way. But hey, Michelangelo gets to break the rules. We walked around the huge church, found the statue of Peter with his shiny and worn foot, and then admired the huge dome. I had wanted to climb up the dome of the church but there was insufficient time. That's the problem with tours -sometimes you can't do the things you would like to do. We did however spend some time in quiet prayer, in a corner of the largest Catholic church in the world before leaving for dinner.

Again, the best place for links is probably this site: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome. And my photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taking5/sets/72157619689628758/ . But let's end off with a picture of Bernini's famous colonnade; there are four rows of columns but when you stand on this particular spot you only see the front row:

Any lot will do

In Rome, the cars are largely quite small. Little Fiats, Renaults, the Swatch/Mercedes “Smart” car, even a little Toyota. In this crowded city, parking space is at a premium and small cars definitely have an edge. You don't even need to use a regular parking lot.

Passing by

I wanted to have a little daily post on my blog similar to the “Pooch of the Day” posts during last year's France trip. Since it was Italy, my initial thought was “Italian Hunk of the Day”, but it is not so easy to take shots of complete strangers (and the Swiss Guards were not very cooperative, shooing us away). So I thought I would focus on non-religious scenes instead.

This first shot is a bit of a cheat. After all, it is the restaurant where we had lunch on our first day in Rome. Chinese Italian food is not exactly what you'd get in the typically Cantonese restaurant here in Singapore and frankly most Zhi Cha food is a lot better. My guess is that they have huge problems getting ingredients, particularly fresh green leafy veggies. Think that was some fried lettuce we had for lunch today! Every other dish is cooked with capsicum, typically green. We are going to really miss our Kai Lan and Kangkong by the end of this trip. I was thinking at the end of the meal, if this is how Italians experience Chinese food, they are definitely not going to give up their pasta and pizza.

Pilgrimage 2009 - Rome, Rotondo, Lourdes

(Note: These posts were largely written on the road, but edited and posted upon return to Singapore. I'm backdating them so that they describe the events of the day.)

I had been meaning to take my mother on a pilgrimage for a few years – so this year we finally got round to signing up for a 13 day Rome-Rotondo-Lourdes pilgrimage.


Our group is some 27 people, excluding our tour leader and our spiritual director. Mostly retirees, but about 6 younger people (including me). In true Singapore style, I find one ex-colleague, one colleague of a cousin and the parents and aunts of my primary school classmate. As we always say, Singapore is a small place.


Our first day was meant to be an “easy” day, but I must admit I was truly exhausted at the end. Probably because I didn't sleep on the plane, beyond dozing off for a few minutes here and there.

We started off at the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls, or Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura (there is another St Paul within the walls of Rome but it is an Episcopalian aka Anglican church), which was erected over St Paul's grave. Here, we met our guide, Roberta, who displays a truly impressive knowledge of church history, the popes, and Roman history. I am amazed that she can remember whether a building was built under Pious V or Pious VI or Sixtus V or Sixtus VI. Roberta herself is an elegant Italian woman – unlike the stereotypical fast-talking Italian, she pronounces each word deliberately, accompanied by graceful hand gestures. She has to speak softly in a little radio transmitter; we get headsets to listen to her. With the large number of tourist groups around each church or site, I can imagine the cacophony which would have resulted if all the guides attempted to communicate to their groups over each others' noise. So each day we wait for the aptly named “Whisper” man to arrive to bring our headsets in.

St Paul's is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, where the high altar can be used only by the Pope or his nominee saying a mass in his place. It is full on columns on each side, with a glorious ceiling and the portraits of the popes lining the walls.


We then went to Tre Fontana – where Paul was decapitated by the sword. The place is so called because tradition has it that when Paul was beheaded, his head bounced on the ground three times and where his head hit the ground, a fountain emerged, according to church tradition. Today the springs seemed a little sluggish with the water moving only slightly. I thought of Paul at the end of his life, proclaiming “I have fought the good fight; I have won the race.”


After lunch, we went to Santa Croce – the church of the Holy Cross, which had within the relics of the True Cross, brought back to Rome by St Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, sometime around the 3rd Century AD. Apparently the church was built or originally converted from the house of Helen, after her death. Sorry no photos, the relics were in a very low light environment and they just didn't come out well.


Along the way, we passed the Circus Maximus, where many of the early Christians were killed by the Romans. It was next to the Palatine, the home of the Emperors (so they didn't need to go far for the executions). Today it is a green grassy plain with a raised hump in the centre. Rome is drenched in the blood of the martyrs; apparently half a million Christians were executed by the Romans, principally by the Emperor Nero.


Thereafter, we went to Sancta Scala (the Holy Stairs) and the Basilica of St John Lateran, just next to each other. At Sancta Scala, it was incredible to see all the pilgrims going up the stairs on their knees. Don't know whether it is truly the steps leading to Pontius Pilate's rooms but the deeper beauty and truth of this place is the faith and contrition displayed by all the pilgrims who are taking this painful journey to repent of their sins. Alas, where I was concerned, the spirit was willing (well sort of willing) but my knees are weak. I would be prepared to give it a go on the last day but wasn't willing to hobble for the rest of the pilgrimage.

Our next stop was the basilica of St John Lateran, or more accurately, the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, St. John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran. The name came about because the hill the Basilica was built on and surrounding lands were originally owned by the powerful Lateran family of ancient Rome. Constantine took over the lands to build the church, the first official church in Rome. Thus Christianity was institutionalised within the Roman Empire. This is why the church of St John Lateran has also the title of "ecumenical mother church" (mother church of the whole inhabited world). It is also the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. So from the blood of the martyrs, rose the early church.

The popes stayed here at the Lateran basilica until 1309 when the papal court moved to Avignon; it would only return 68 years later in 1377 (see my post on the Pope's Palace here). But it was felt that the palace was in too poor condition and not fit for habitation (especially if one compares it to the papal palace at Avignon ). So they moved over to St Peter's where the pope has stayed every since.

St John Lateran has been re-built a few times over the years. It has an imposing nave with gigantic statues of the apostles on each side, each with their iconic symbol (eg two keys for St Peter; coins for Matthew). The floor is beautiful with multi-coloured marble in geometric patterns. Here, we had our first mass together as a group. Father looked at the sorry, exhausted state of his flock and kept his sermon short.


We went for dinner, checked in at the hotel and went to bed quickly.

I've not put in the links for many of these references, but more information on many of these places can be found here. My photos can be found here.