Around Rome

The first group activity today was standing in line for the Wednesday audience was held in the Paul VI meeting hall. I did not take any pictures of the Pope because our seats were about halfway back, but it is really cool to see how excited people are to meet the Pope.  I think it's because of who and what he represents, Peter and the promise that God will not abandon his Church. When I see him in person, I just get the sense that here is the fullness of the Church (very appropriate to feel about the Pope), which is funny because it's not really about the man, but the office.  I remember feeling the same way after the conclave before Pope Francis was announced, that the Church was made whole again.

Before the Pope arrived 

But enough of this theological waxing, you want to know what else we did today. After visiting the Roman Minor Seminary, which has become largely a guest house for visiting priests (they still have like 20 guys studying on a special track in the general co-ed high school that is still there) and lunch with Monsignor Callaghan, we were off and wander through some sun showers to Santa Sabina. After a brief detour up the road to the headquarters of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta for a cool trick of looking upon three sovereign states in one shot, we went to Santa Sabine's very impressive gardens. The three country trick works because you can see the Vatican through Italy from the headquarters. The Knights are officially in exile there since Napoleon stole Malta from them (their rule prevents them from fighting Christians making his conquest very one sided) and the British took Malta instead of returning it at the Congress of Vienna.  They issue their own passports and have observer status at the UN, but have only extraterritorial property.

The garden was nice and had orange trees that Dominic brought from Spain (that were bearing fruit)

The view was even better

Santa Sabina is the motherhouse of the Dominican order as well as a very ancient church.  Two Nashville Dominican sisters gave us a tour and we had mass there in Dominic's cell which was remodeled by the Cardinal-Master of the Dominicans in the 16th century to be more impressive.

These doors are 1500 years old and I was really fascinated with them.

From there the sisters took us to the church that houses the Roman virgin martyr they are named for, St. Cecilia, which is special to me because I was baptized in the St. Paul  parish named after her.  Tomorrow we have another full day, I think starting with mass with Monsignor at the Roman College where the image of our Lady of Confidence is housed. Hopefully someone has the music to the hymn in her honor, because I don't remember it.

The actual tomb. Behind the grate is the original sarcophagus.