Tu es Petrus (You are Peter)

I had a very moving visit to the tomb of St. Peter on July 2. Although I have been to St. Peter's Basilica before, I had never seen the “backside” of Peter's tomb. It was amazing to learn that an entire necropolis lies beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, and seeing it unearthed was an absolute eye-opener regarding the history of the place. The ongoing debate over whether or not the bones found there are actually those of Peter was also quite thought-provoking. However, this experience serves as an analogy for the nature of faith, as it reminded me that faith is essentially believing without seeing. The visit strengthened me spiritually, and I felt a different spiritual power emanating from that place. The fact that the entire Catholic bureaucracy and the Popes are all buried in that crypt only strengthens my conviction that those bones are indeed St. Peter's! God bless us all!

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Walking on Holy Land

Basilica di Santa Clemente (Matteo Carboni) The other day I visited Basilica Di Santa Clemente al Laterano. Santa Clemente is an 11th century church built on top of a 4th century church named after St. Clement of Rome who was the Pope between 88 and 99 CE. It is likely that the site had been used as a house church since the 2nd century CE, then transformed into a large church complex in the 4th century. Beside the 4th century church there was a temple of Mithras that had been used since the 2nd century CE. Underneath the church and the temple, excavators found Roman households destroyed by the fire of Nero in 64 CE. I think Santa Clemente is one of the coolest sites I have visited in Rome. It has been a neighborhood church for nearly 2000 years and has only needed one upgrade! The physical relationship between the two churches has given me much to ponder. The foundations of the 4th century church was used as a blueprint for the 11th century church. One the one hand, this is ...

Interpretations: The Jewish Ghetto or Quarter

Jewish Quarter: History The Roman Ghetto or Ghetto of Rome ( Italian : Ghetto di Roma ) was a Jewish ghetto established in 1555 in the Rione Sant'Angelo , in Rome , Italy , in the area surrounded by present-day Via del Portico d'Ottavia , Lungotevere dei Cenci , Via del Progresso and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto, close to the River Tiber and the Theatre of Marcellus . With the exception of brief periods under Napoleon from 1808 to 1815 and under the Roman Republics of 1798–99 and 1849 , the ghetto of Rome was controlled by the papacy until the capture of Rome in 1870. The ghetto was a walled quarter with its gates locked at night. The wall was built under the direction of the architect Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi . The cost of the wall's construction, 300 Roman scudi , had to be paid by the Jewish community. The area of Rome chosen for the...

Parting ways

Our last dinner with the University of Toronto group was truly memorable. Overall, the Rome trip wa a great experience and I learned a lot about ecumenism, something I had no experience with before. The concept of ecumenism as a dialogue, where one can be "strong in their identity yet open to dialogue", really resonated with It's inspiring to see how such an approach can foster understanding and unity, even with our own "small group" from Toronto, there was so much diversity (again, it included an Anglican priest, a secular Jew, and 3 Catholics). Yet, despite our differences, there will always be a way to talk and talk to each other, if they share space with each other. I will truly miss this group , and the larger group at the Centro Pro Unione. I am looking forward to more enlightening conversations and shared ecumenical experiences in the future! Very grateful again to Dr. Attridge, Dr. Skira and the RSM management for this wonderful opportunity! Until next...

Rome Ecumenism Course 2024

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