I'm back in Rome this afternoon on rainy day in most of Italy. I was able to get an earlier train right after attending Mass at St. Benedicts church which is near the hotel. Because of the rain, and because of a surprise e-mail that I received yesterday, I decided to leave Bologna early. My original train departed at 3:45pm with arrival in Rome at 5:50pm. Matthieu Goutte, the French naval officer who was on retreat at la Sainte Baume in January e-mailed me on Friday night to say he would be in Rome this weekend. His ship had docked at the port of Cittavecchio, about 30 miles outside of Rome and he and friends would be in the city for the weekend. I am meeting him in St. Peter's Square in about an hour for a visit. I'm looking forward to our visit. He wants to travel in the USA sometime this summer. Maybe there will be tentative plans made today.
At 6:30, there are solemn vespers at the NAC. I am meeting Deacon Riley Williams and planning to go out for dinner after prayers.
I justr found this link. Liz Lev is the art historian tour guide who led us through St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Don't miss this interview with her. It is Wonderful!!!
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/People/LizLev.htm
So now let me catch up on a few things.
Friday morning - March 11:
We took the "scavi" tour under St. Peter's Basilica. "Scavi" means excavations. I am including a link to a good article for further reading.
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0735.html
When tomb of Pope Pius XI was being prepared in the crypt of St. Peter's, it was decided to lower the floor to make room for the tomb that had been prepared to receive the Pope's body. In the process of the work, workmen broke through into a chamber below the basilica. This was the beginning of the excavations which ultimately discovered the tomb of St. Peter.
Unfortunately I have no pictures. Photography is not allowed in the excavations. As they continued to dig, they discovered a "necropolis", literally a city of the dead. Tombs had been erected from the 1st century BC through the 2nd Century AD. The use of the necropolis by Christians is indisputed. There are beautiful tombs that had been pagan but were redecorated with Christian symbols and imagery most likely because the family owners had been Baptized.
The practice of families visiting the tombs was common practice. Families built little houses when relatives were buried. Provisions were even made for families to use these locations for picnics outside the city limits. The tomb of Peter had been a regular devotional place from the first days. Although it was not marked, the location has been documented in many places. A simple altar was placed there that dates to the early 2nd century. Remnants of that monument are still seen today. The fact of the location of St. Peter's grave is indisputed and agreed upon even by non-believing skeptics. The bones that were taken from the grave have been analyzed and are the bones of a Jewish man, 65 - 75 years old. The feet are missing. This bit of gruesome detail only supports the tradition that St. Peter was crucified upside down at his request. The bones in the grave are broken right at the ankles. This would have been the most effective way of removing his body from the cross after he had died.
Constantine built the first St Peter's basilica in the 4th century and it stood until replaced with the "new" St. Peter's in the 16th century.
It was a very moving experience to stand there and to actually see the grave and the bones themselves which are visible. The Vatican worked with NASA to provide a small box made of a plastic material that is fire-proof, bullet-proof, and shatter-proof to preserve this most important documented relic of our Church.
It was a real priviledge to take the tour. There are thousands of requests daily and only about 250 people per day can obtain tickets. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The time to reflect on the significance of this accidental find that turned hearsay into history will last a lifetime.
