Special Vatican Exhibit Pope John Paul II

Tribute on Occasion of  Beatification

Pope John Paul II

“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
as you know, next 1 May
I shall have the joy of beatifying
my beloved Predecessor,
Venerable Pope John Paul II.
The date chosen is deeply meaningful:
it will in fact be the Second Sunday
of Easter, which he himself entitled
Divine Mercy Sunday, on the eve of which
his life on earth ended.
Those who knew him,
those who esteemed and loved him,
cannot but rejoice with the Church
in this event.We are glad!”
Benedict XVI – 16 January 2011

The coffin of Blessed John Paul II, which had been exposed for veneration in the front of St. Peter's basilica during the weekend of his beatification, has now been moved to a final resting place in the chapel of St. Sebastian.

The final resting place of the newly beatified Pope is marked with a simple marble tombstone, inscribed Beatus Ioannes Paulus PP II. The chapel of St. Sebastian is located near the main door of the basilica, just past Michelangelo's Pieta.

John Paul II, a Global Pope

It could be said that John Paul II was the first “global Pope” in the sense that throughout his almost 26 year pontificate he was able to visit local churches and peoples on the five continents from one part of the globe to the other.

In his Introduction to JOHN PAUL II - A tribute from Benedict XVI on occasion of the beatification. Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo writes, "This spiritual, intellectual, and also physical commitment can only instill a great sense of admiration."

He continues, "This exhibit dedicated to him as a homage by Benedict XVI on the occasion of John Paul II’s beatification shows only some of the moments in the life of this great Pontiff. Although there are many other facets and events, also significant, it is not possible to show them all here. These other events include: the many Heads of State he received, the Ambassadors who presented their letters of credence, the many eminent political, social and cultural leaders received in audience. And yet, even more, he met so many humble persons to whom he offered paternal and fraternal words of friendship, consolation, encouragement, and hope, which had an unforgettable impact on their lives."

Visit our Facebook Fan Page for photo albums from our Rome visit including our Sunday visit to the Vatican.

More Photos:  Pope John Paul II Exhibit Photo Album


Additional References

John Paul II Tribute Site
John Paul II Beatification Site
Vatican City State Site

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican

Sunday At the Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica Dome

After completing our self-guided tour of the  Vatican Museums, we continued our Vatican visit inside St. Peter's Basilica. Just a short walk from the museum exit, you'll walk through columns and archways to the entrance of the Basilica. Stepping inside, don't be surprised if your breath is taken away, as you are filled with awe of what lies before you.

The most important basilica in the Christian world, the St. Peter's Basilica, was built in Rome in honor of Saint Peter, the first Apostle and the first Pope and leader of the Church.

Upon this "rock", I will build my Church

These words, spoken by Jesus Christ, gave Peter, the foundation "stone" (in Italian "Pietra"), authority as the first Pope.  After escaping from prison, Peter headed to Rome where he became Bishop and then reigned as Pope for 25 years.  He would later be crucified and canonized as a saint.   Learn more about St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's is an extraordinary museum in it's own right with magnificent marble columns and works of art such as Michelangelo's vast dome and the Pieta, which means "Compassion" in Italian.  It is impossible to estimate the value of these priceless works of art.

Bernini's canopy (Baldacchino) 

above St. Peter's tomb

Looking through Bernini's canopy, which is above St. Peter's tomb, you can see the alter where we were fortunate to attend holy mass during our visit.  Despite being in Italian, we were able to follow the service.   This was truly one of the highlights of our visit to the Vatican.

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the underground crypts during our visit to St. Peter's Basilica.   We had hoped that following mass, they would have opened the crypt, but that wasn't the case.

These are just a few pictures of the interior of St. Peter's Basilica.   We have many more posted on our Facebook Fan Page:

St. Peter's Vatican Photo Album

St. Peter's Square is also a site to behold - there are more pictures in the album above also.

We continued our Vatican visit with the special exhibit in tribute to the Beatification of John Paul II.   This is a free temporary exhibit.

Read more about this in our next blog post:

Special Vatican Exhibit Pope John Paul II

More Photo Albums:

Pope John Paul II Exhibit Photo Album

Vatican Museum Line
Vatican Museum Part 2

 

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Where have you explored? 

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