Tuesday November 24, 2009

We landed at Fuimincino Airport at about 7:45 am local time, went through passport control, got our bags, went through customs and boarded a Pullman for Rome. Our accommodations were the Pontificio Istituto Maestre Pie Filippine. Originally I thought it was a pilgrim house run by nuns from the Philippines, but actually the nuns were founded by St. Lucia Fillipini (an Italian foundress whose order specializes in running Catholic schools). The nuns were mostly Italian, but there was one Indian nun who was very helpful because she spoke English.

By the time we got settled in and ready to take in our first experiences of Rome it was about 11:00 am. We started walking down the hill of Via della Fornaci and approached St. Peter’s Square from the south. (The place we stayed in 2005 was halfway down Via della Fornaci and 1 block west up another hill.)

As we entered St. Peter’s Square the massiveness of Benini’s Colonade struck me again like two giants arms of the Church embracing all who enter. It was a sunny day in the low 60’s and we took in the beauty of the Square and imposing façade of St. Peter’s Basilica. Dr. Strada oriented us to the former placement of Nero’s Circus, the necropolis and the placement of the original Constantinian Basilica. There was a long line to get into St. Peter’s, which surprised me. New subtle security measures would continue to surprise me throughout the rest of our pilgrimage.

In order to keep our appointment with Archbishop Burke, we decide to begin our walk to the Cancelleria by way of Castel Sant’ Angelo and the Ponte Sant’ Angelo. We walked by the Chiesa Nuova and the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, but they were closed for lunch (and never seemed to be open whenever we passed by for the rest of the trip).

When we arrive at the Cancelleria and found the office of the Apostlic Signatura, we were ushered into a meeting room lined with books on all sides. Archbishop Burke joined us and greeted Frs. Horkan and Carr, Dr. Belleville and me. Dr. Belleville presented the Archbishop with a spiritual bouquet from all the members of the pilgrimage. Then Archbishop Burke sat down and began to explain the role of the Apostolic Signatura. In addition to being like a the Supreme Court for the Church, Archbishop Burke also likened himself to the Attorney General, since his office is responsible for guiding all the other top ecclesiastical courts in the Church. The Archbishop also answered some our questions and reiterated his stance on denying Holy Communion to so-called Catholic politicians who support abortion. He also stressed that pilgrimage is a special time of grace and great time to hear the call of God for young people. Understanding modern distractions, the Archbishop said that every young person is being called and it is up to them to rise above the distractions to hear God’s call. Jet-lag was a distraction some in our group were seriously struggling against.

After our audience with Archbishop Burke, we broke up for lunch at nearby Campo dei Fiori and met back at the convent for Mass celebrated by Fr. Horkan. When Mass was over we took the rest of the day to take in St. Peter’s Basilica. By that time everyone was very tired, but they were also hungry. We supped at a restaurant called Da Marcello on the Borgo Pio. This became our main dinner spot and while not particularly exciting, served our purpose well. After dinner, we reprised our tradition of praying the Holy Rosary in St. Peter’s Square and praying for our Holy Father’s intentions below his windows.