POPE FRANCIS ADDS HOLLERICH AND FOUR OTHER CARDINALS TO HIS COUNCIL OF ADVISERS – VATICAN RETURN 3 FRAGMENTS OF PARTHENON TO GREECE

The Pope’s Council of Cardinals, intended to have nine members, has not been at that number recently but the Holy Father today new members and confirmed several previous ones.

There was some interesting news from the Vatican Museums today. Vatican officials, meeting with Greek officials in the museums, returned to Greece three fragments of sculptures that have been in the Vatican for several centuries. Museums in a number of countries, in fact, have works of art from Greece, Egypt, Italy and elsewhere and these museums have been asking, for years in some cases, that the art works to be returned to the original owners.   Let’s see if this act stimulates others to follow in Vatican footsteps.

POPE FRANCIS ADDS HOLLERICH AND FOUR OTHER CARDINALS TO HIS COUNCIL OF ADVISERS

(CNA – Courtney Mares) – Pope Francis appointed five new members to his council of cardinals advisers on Tuesday, including Synod organizer Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich and Canadian Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix.

The Vatican announced on March 7 the nine members of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals tasked with assisting the pope “in the governance of the universal Church.”

The pope has nominated Brazilian Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha, Spanish Cardinal Juan José Omella Omella, and Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, to be new members of the council, along with Hollerich and Lacroix.

With the new appointments, Honduran Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, 80, and Germany’s Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 69, are no longer members of the Council of Cardinals. Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the 80-year-old retired president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, has been replaced by his successor.

TO CONTINUE: Pope Francis adds Hollerich and four other cardinals to his council of advisers | Catholic News Agency

VATICAN RETURNS 3 FRAGMENTS OF PARTHENON TO GREECE

A Holy See communiqué today announced that a deed of donation was signed in the Vatican Museums this morning that gives three fragments from the Parthenon back to Greece. This was desired by Pope Francis “as a concrete sign of the sincere desire to continue on the ecumenical path of bearing witness to the Truth.”

The ceremony in the Gregorian Profane Museum was attended by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and the Governorate of Vatican City State, Papamikroulis Emmanouil, who represented His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece; Styliani-Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture and Sport of the Hellenic Republic, and Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums. (Vatican media)

On March 24, a representative of the Dicastery for Christian Unity will attend the ceremony in Athens occassioned by the arrival of the fragments.

 

 

 

POPE TO GIVE PARTHENON MARBLE FRAGMENTS TO GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHBISHOP

POPE TO GIVE PARTHENON MARBLE FRAGMENTS TO GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHBISHOP

It was announced today that Pope Francis will give His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Athens and All Greece, three fragments of Parthenon sculptures that have been kept in the Vatican Museums for centuries. He wants to do so, “as a concrete sign of a sincere desire to continue on the ecumenical journey of witness to the truth.”

According to the Vatican Museums website, three marble fragments from the Parthenon’s decorative sculptures arrived in the Vatican’s collection in the 19th century. The fragments include part of the head of a horse from a sculpture of Athena’s chariot, as well as the heads of sculptures of two men.

Vatican Museum photos provided by Holy See Press Office:

 

VATICAN INSIDER: THE 7 HILLS OF ROME, COATS OF ARMS AND CANDLES AND ROME’S OLDEST BRIDGE – VATICAN MUSEUM DIRECTOR NAMED TO ADVISORY BOARD OF HERMITAGE MUSEUM – SAINT AUGUSTINE’S STORY

L’Osservatore Romano weekly English edition: https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/pdfreader.html/ing/2020/08/ING_2020_035_2808.pdf.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterOR-EN

If you are a mother (or know one) who has dedicated her prayer life to a child straying from all that is good and right in life, one who continually, as the expression goes, “pushes the envelope,” then the story of St. Monica and her son, St. Augustine, is for you! If you need to feel encouraged, if you are praying to experience even the slightest sensation of optimism, this is the story you need to know and reflect on.

Yesterday, as we know, was the memorial of St. Monica and today is the feast of her son. I’ve posted below the capsule version of St. Augustine’s life as told in their Saint of the Day column by franciscanmedia.org

VATICAN INSIDER: THE 7 HILLS OF ROME, COATS OF ARMS AND CANDLES AND ROME’S OLDEST BRIDGE

I’m looking forward to have you join me this weekend on Vatican Insider! Wherever you are as you listen, if you’ve decided to spend a brief moment with me this weekend, I think I have a fun offering for you in what is normally the interview segment.

I’ve called this segment INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW because I’m going to bring you some trivia – some little known, and often unusual facts about the Vatican – some fun stories about the 7 hills of Rome, the papal coat of arms, the Paschal candle, Vatican City State, the Vatican mosaic studio and the Bridge of Angels. I also call this “Inquiring Minds Want to Know” because so many people have written me in the past with questions and now is a good time to answer those questions, although I often try, when time allows, to personally answer those emails.

(A heads-up: There were hours of technical difficulties today as I was trying to record the News segment so, if by chance you notice an audio difference in that and my Special, it was due to different methods of recording. My EWTN colleagues in Alabama are very talented people so I know you’ll get the best audio possible!)

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/audio-library/index.asp (write Vatican Insider where it says Search Shows and Episodes)

VATICAN MUSEUM DIRECTOR NAMED TO ADVISORY BOARD OF HERMITAGE MUSEUM

In an email to members of the meeting who regularly receive “The Agenda of Barbara Jatta, Museum Director,” it was announced that, “Following her recent appointment as an official member of the Advisory Board of the State Hermitage Museum, today, Friday 28 August, the Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Jatta will participate by videoconference in the annual meeting of the committee that, for the year 2020, will bring together the directors of the principal international museums in the city of Yekaterinburg (Urals), where one of the new satellite offices of the illustrious cultural institution of St. Petersburg will soon be inaugurated.

The meeting will be a precious moment of exchange and comparison to identify the most suitable strategies to face the critical issues of the museum sector in this particular historical moment.

SAINT AUGUSTINE’S STORY

(franciscanmedia.org) Saint Augustine of Hippo – Saint of the Day for August 28 (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430)

A Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41: Many people are familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo, sinner turned saint. But really to get to know the man is a rewarding experience.

There quickly surfaces the intensity with which he lived his life, whether his path led away from or toward God. The tears of his mother, the instructions of Ambrose and, most of all, God himself speaking to him in the Scriptures, redirected Augustine’s love of life to a life of love.

His tomb in Pavia, Italy –

Having been so deeply immersed in creature-pride of life in his early days and having drunk deeply of its bitter dregs, it is not surprising that Augustine should have turned, with a holy fierceness, against the many demon-thrusts rampant in his day. His times were truly decadent: politically, socially, morally. He was both feared and loved, like the Master. The perennial criticism leveled against him: a fundamental rigorism.

In his day, Augustine providentially fulfilled the office of prophet. Like Jeremiah and other greats, he was hard-pressed but could not keep quiet. “I say to myself, I will not mention him/I will speak in his name no more/But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart/imprisoned in my bones/I grow weary holding it in/I cannot endure it” (Jeremiah 20:9). https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODAug28.mp3

 

VATICAN NEWS IN BRIEF: HONORING MEDICAL WORKERS, A PEDIATRIC RE-OPENING, MIGRANT NEWS BULLETIN, A SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS

Each week I bring news and other offerings from Rome to EWTN’s “At Home with Jim and Joy” that airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (check your local listings for time). I should have done this long before now but here’s a link to my contribution this week (in the last 5 or so minutes of this half hour), the first time in months that we could film this segment outdoors. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-museums-pontifical-gardens-covid-19-gratitude-

Every week during the pandemic months when we had to stay indoors, I prepared a video in my home on my iPad and sent that to EWTN and it aired as usual on their show.   Here are two examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8FT1xqDio0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Hw_NARkTY

Thank the Lord for today’s technology that allows us to keep up with our family, our friends and our work – to not miss a beat, as the saying goes!

VATICAN NEWS IN BRIEF: HONORING MEDICAL WORKERS, A PEDIATRIC RE-OPENING, MIGRANT NEWS BULLETIN, A SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS

VATICAN OFFERS TOKEN OF GRATITUDE TO MEDICAL STAFF FOR ITS WORK DURING PANDEMIC
As Holy See authorities ease restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vatican Museums and the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo reopen their doors to welcome back the public after more than two long months of closure. Both the Museums and the papal villas will open their doors free of charge to all doctors, nurses and other medical staff in a sign of gratitude for their work on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. They will have access to the Vatican Museums for one week and to Castel Gandolfo for two weekends. The initiative will be valid at the Museums from Monday June 8 to Saturday June 13 June, while the Pontifical Villas will welcome health workers on the weekend of June 6-7 and June 13-14. The Museums were opened to the general public on June 1; the Pontifical Villas and Gardens are due to open on 6 June. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-museums-pontifical-gardens-covid-19-gratitude-

VATICAN’S SANTA MARTA PEDIATRIC DISPENSARY REOPENS
With the coronavirus emergency still not over altogether, the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary in the heart of Vatican City began taking all the necessary precautions on June 3, to re-start its services for needy children and pregnant women. New mothers from all over the world come to the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary, which is part of the activities of the Office of Papal Charities, the Holy See’s department charged with exercising charity to the poor in the name of the Pope.  In the past few months under lockdown, the Dispensary was providing assistance by phone.  From now on, access to the services will be regulated in keeping with health protocols, especially physical distancing.  Booking an appointment via telephone is needed to avoid many arriving together at the same time. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-santa-marta-dispensary-reopening.html

DICASTERY’S MIGRANTS & REFUGEES SECTION ISSUES WEEKLY BULLETIN ON COVID-19
Because migrants, refugees and displaced persons are among the most vulnerable of peoples due to wars, violence, forced displacement, famines, hunger, and more so in a time such as the coronavirus era, the Migrants and Refugees section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has been producing weekly bulletins with information and guidelines on how to help these vulnerable groups and communities. The theme of this week’s bulletin, # 7, is Pope Francis’s belief that “We can only get out of this situation together, as a whole humanity.” When Pope Francis merged several offices to create this Dicastery, he said he wished to personally head the Migrants and Refugee section of the office. The formation of this dicastery was announced on August 31, 2016 and it became effective January 1, 2017. https://migrants-refugees.va/2020/06/02/covid-19-no-one-must-be-forgotten-7/

VATICAN TO OPEN SUMMER CAMP FOR EMPLOYEE CHILDREN
Pope Francis is to open a summer camp in the Vatican for the children of the mothers who work for the city State. A swimming pool, tennis court, five-a-side pitch and basketball court will be set up along with a bouncy castle in the Vatican grounds. Kids will also be able to play table tennis in the Paul VI Room, and enjoy guided tours of the Vatican gardens. The camp will be run by the Salesian Brothers and will be open from July 6 to 31.   Up to 100 children will be able to attend, divided into age brackets (from five to seven, from eight to 10 and from 11 to 14). “The Kids Summer project was born as an initiative of the Governorate of the Vatican City to meet the needs of the fathers and mothers who work here,” Salesian Father Franco Fontana told Vatican News. Fontana is the chaplain of the Vatican Gendarmerie and the Vatican Museums. (ANSA: May 29)

UPDATE ON SUMMER VATICAN MUSEUM VISITS TO CASTELGANDOLFO – POPE’S AUGUST PRAYER INTENTION: FOR FAMILIES

UPDATE ON SUMMER VATICAN MUSEUM VISITS TO CASTELGANDOLFO

If anyone reading this column has reserved for August 3 (this weekend) the Vatican Museums’ visit to Castelgandolfo and the papal residence that takes place on Saturdays throughout the year, the Museums have issued the following notice (obviously this refers to any tourists who still wants to reserve this special visit in August):

“For extraordinary summer maintenance work on the Ciampino-Albano Laziale railway line (vice versa) – and in order to cause the least inconvenience to visitors, the Vatican Museums’ “Vatican by Train” initiative has arranged for a private substitute shuttle service dedicated to visitors who reserved the visit in lieu of scheduled train service on the following Saturdays: August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. This visit, whose destination is the papal villas in Castelgandolfo, normally starts with departures from the Vatican City train station and from the Roma San Pietro. On the above dates busses will substitute the trains.”

If you can manage to have your Rome itinerary include a Saturday, be sure to reserve for this special trip. I have done it and it is a full day but a lot of fun and a real beautiful experience – the Castelli Romani hills towns, the papal residence and gardens, Lake Albano, an extinct volcano, etc. (JFL photos)

For anything related to the Vatican Museums, go to the OFFICIAL website: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html

For the Saturday Castelgandolfo visit: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/ville-pontificie-e-giardini/ville-pontificie-di-castel-gandolfo.html

Do not Google “Vatican Museums” and get some tour group or website that will charge you a higher price than the Museums do. After all, they have to make a profit. Go straight to the official site!

POPE’S AUGUST PRAYER INTENTION: FOR FAMILIES

Pope Francis has released a video message accompanying his prayer intention for August, which is that families may become “schools of true human development”.

In his prayer intention for the month of August 2019, Pope Francis invites us to pray that, “families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly schools of true human development.”

It has become the custom of Pope Francis to release a video message detailing his prayer intention for each month.

The full text of his intention is below:
What kind of world do we want to leave for the future?
Let us leave a world with families.
Let us care for our families, because they are true schools for the future, spaces of freedom, and centers of humanity.
And let us reserve a special place in our families for individual and communal prayer.
Let us pray that families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly “schools of true human development”.

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer developed “The Pope Video” initiative to assist in the worldwide dissemination of monthly intentions of the Holy Father in relation to the challenges facing humanity.

Click here to see the August papal video: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-08/pope-francis-july-prayer-intention-families0.html#play

VATICAN INSIDER SHARES TIME WITH D.VA, WOMEN IN THE VATICAN – VATICAN MUSEUMS BY NIGHT STARTS APRIL 26 – SO YOU WANT A PAPAL BLESSING….. – YOU NEED A TICKET FOR A PAPAL AUDIENCE……? – GETTING AROUND ROME

The crowds are getting bigger here each and every day as we approach Palm Sunday and the Easter season – schools closing, families traveling, huge numbers of visitors invading the Eternal City and Vatican City. Today I’m dedicating some space to the questions that people usually ask me about visiting Rome and the Vatican, and I hope the answers and links below help in a significant way.

I also want to give you a heads up on something that I’ll be part of on Easter Sunday.

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and husband of Callista Gingrich, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, recently started a podcast called “Newt’s World.” I’ve known the Gingriches for 10 years as our friendship dates back to some assistance I gave them a decade ago when they were filming their documentary on Pope John Paul in Rome and the Vatican.

Newt is truly a man for all seasons as you will realize by simply looking at the subjects of his first podcasts. If, for example, you thought you knew Benjamin Franklin, think again! A riveting story that will make you stop what you are doing (unless you are listening while driving your car). Listen HERE http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/newts-world/ and HERE: https://www.gingrich360.com/productions/podcast/

I am honored that he has chosen me as a feature of his Easter Sunday podcast! So tune in next week – I’ll be reminding you, in any case!

VATICAN INSIDER SHARES TIME WITH D.VA, WOMEN IN THE VATICAN

My very special guest this weekend on Vatican Insider’s interview segment is also a longtime friend and a colleague when we both worked at Vatican Radio for many years – Tracey McClure. Tracey and a few others made some history not long ago by founding D.Va – Donne in Vaticano – Women in the Vatican – the first ever women’s association approved by the Vatican! Full disclosure: I am a member of D.VA (pronounced diva) and have participated in many activities but I wanted Tracey to give you the behind the scenes input.

Here are a few photos from some of our activities, excursions (Castelgandolfo) and Masses with Fr. Federico Lombardi, our spiritual advisor.

The women who founded D.VA (Tracey’s under the Pope’s photo)-

Part of the group at Castelgandolfo –

Mass with Fr. Lombardi in Teutonic cemetery chapel –

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at http://www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on http://www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/audio-library/index.asp (write Vatican Insider where it says Search Shows and Episodes)

VATICAN MUSEUMS BY NIGHT STARTS APRIL 26

On Friday April  26, the 2019 edition of the special night openings of the Vatican Museums will begin, offering until 25 October a unique experience in terms of atmosphere, artistic beauty and musical offerings, for visitors both Roman and otherwise.

From 7.00 p.m., for over six months for a total of 27 Fridays, the Pope’s Museums “double” their cultural offering with a new evening programme, greatly appreciated by the public, especially in the spring and summer season.

As in previous years, and again included in the price of the entry ticket, which may be booked online exclusively, an extensive concert programme will enrich the already special night opening, animating the splendid museum architecture with sound, song and dance.

Click here for all pertinent information: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/eventi-e-novita/iniziative/Eventi/2019/aperture-notturne-2019.html

SO YOU WANT A PAPAL BLESSING…..

If you’re visiting Rome and want to get a papal blessing for an anniversary, wedding or First Communion will need to go to the office of Papal Blessings in Vatican City State. This is part of the office of the Papal Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski as all monies from blessings go to papal charities.

If for some reason you cannot make it to Rome, you can indeed order online; https://www.elemosineria.va/papal-blessing-parchments/

YOU NEED A TICKET FOR A PAPAL AUDIENCE……?

You’re planning your trip to Rome and need a ticket for a papal audience or possibly a public papal Mass (not the daily Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City). To find out what events are on Pope Francis’ calendar – and to obtain that ticket! – go here: http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/index_en.html

GETTING AROUND ROME

ATAC, Rome’s municipal transit authority, is a name you’ll see scores of times each day on the city’s busses. It has a great website and a fair amount of information in English: website – https://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG

All ATAC tickets are good for travel on the train, bus, and streetcars. They are also valid for commuter trains, but only when within Rome itself. Tickets can be purchased at automated vending machines or at the ticket booth in subway stations as well as at tobacco shops and newspaper stands throughout the city. Single tickets cost €1.50 and are good for 100 minutes or rides on 2 busses. You can also buy a tourist ticket for 24, 48 or 72 hours.

Those who live in Rome will have either an annual pass or a monthly pass. Whereas a single ticket must be validated upon first use in a yellow machine inside the bus, that is not the case with monthly or yearly passes. Thus, if you see someone get on the bus and not show or validate a ticket, do not presume they are travelling free. They undoubtedly have a pass and they, like you, will be asked to show that if controllers board the bus. There are fines for people without tickets so make sure you have one!

The metro (metropolitana) or subway is also a great way to travel, though it is nothing like the underground system of London, Paris, New York and other major cities. Signs indicating a metro stop are large red squares with a white M in the middle. Some of the major subway stops in the center of the city have been closed for repairs to mobile stairways so be sure to check a map. (https://www.rometoolkit.com/transport/rome_metro.htm)

There are scads of HOP ON – HOP OFF companies as you mjay have seen online but I highly recommend ORP – Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi: https://www.operaromanapellegrinaggi.org/en/roma-cristiana/open-bus

BREAKFAST AND EARLY MORNING VISITS TO THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Every so often I like to post some travel trips and/or updated info for visitors to the Vatican, and today I offer some special tips about the Vatican Museums

BREAKFAST AND EARLY MORNING VISITS TO THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

If a trip to Rome is on your agenda – or possibly you are here now – and visiting the Vatican Museums is high on your to-do list, here are some tips on how to make that easy, especially in the hot weather when the idea of standing in long lines, baking under the sun, can be overwhelming.

The really important words in this story are: RESERVE IN ADVANCE!

And do so on the official Vatican Museums webpage:
https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=34&step=1

There are many types of visits available to the Museums (and Castelgandolfo) but my column today focuses on the early morning specials at the Museums.

Information

Visitors have the opportunity to enter the Museums at 7.15 am, before the official opening time and enjoy an American buffet breakfast, at 7.30 am.

Having finished breakfast, visitors may rent out an Audioguide and begin their tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

Full Price Ticket: Euro 68,00. Reduced Price ticket: Euro 59,00.

In order to make the purchase on-line please have on hand the following documents: an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants. It is possible to purchase a ticket at a reduced price for children aged between 6 and 18 years and students up to 25 years of age on presentation of a student identity card (International Student Card) on the day of the visit.*

After the payment is confirmed the applicant will recieve an e-mail with the confirmation of the booking, the voucher containing the reservation code and tour information. The applicant is asked to print off the voucher (it is also possible to show it on a smartphone or tablet) as to present it on the day of the tour. The reservation will be checked by means of the barcode present on the voucher. In case of loss of the voucher, please consult the Customer Care Staff at the Guided Tour Desk.

Information
Visitors have the opportunity to enter the Museums at 7.15 am, before the official opening time and enjoy an American buffet breakfast, at a table especially reserved for them, at 7.30 am.

Having finished breakfast, visitors will meet their private guide. The guide will meet the visitors at their especially reserved table.

The guided tour includes: the Pius-Clementine Museum, the Candelabra, Maps and Tapestry Galleries, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. The guided tour is available in: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian. The duration of the tour is 2 hours.

Full Price ticket: Euro 61,00. Reduced price ticket: Euro 52,00. Guide Service: Euro 250,00.

In order to make the purchase on-line please have on hand the following documents: an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants. It is possible to purchase a ticket at a reduced price for children aged between 6 and 18 years and students up to 25 years of age on presentation of a student identity card (International Student Card) on the day of the visit.*

After the payment is confirmed the applicant will receive an e-mail with the confirmation of the booking, the voucher containing the reservation code and tour information. The applicant is asked to print off the voucher (it is also possible to show it on a smartphone or tablet) as to present it on the day of the tour. The reservation will be checked by means of the barcode present on the voucher. In case of loss of the voucher, please consult the Customer Care Staff at the Guided Tour Desk.

Information
Visitors have the opportunity to enter and enjoy an American Buffet Breakfast in the Vatican Museums.

N.B.: From April 3rd to October 28th the Breakfast will be at Pinecone Courtyard. During the other months of the year the Breakfast will be at the Coffee Bar of the Vatican Museums.

Having finished breakfast visitors can then visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

Full Price ticket: Euro 38,00. Reduced price ticket: Euro 29,00.
Audioguide (optional): Euro 7,00.

In order to make the purchase on-line please have on hand the following documents: an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants. It is possible to purchase a ticket at a reduced price for children aged between 6 and 18 years and students up to 25 years of age on presentation of a student identity card (International Student Card) on the day of the visit.*

After the payment is confirmed the applicant will recieve an e-mail with the confirmation of the booking, the voucher containing the reservation code and tour information. The applicant is asked to print off the voucher (it is also possible to show it on a smartphone or tablet) as to present it on the day of the tour. The reservation will be checked by means of the barcode present on the voucher. In case of loss of the voucher, please consult the Customer Care Staff at the Guided Tour Desk.

PS. There are special night visits to the Museums and there’s also a chance to visit the papal palace and gardens at Castelgandolfo. Click here for info: https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

ANGLICAN, CATHOLIC LEADERS ASK ISRAEL TO PROTECT HOLY SITES IN JERUSALEM – VATICAN MUSEUMS RELEASE BOOK ON ETHICS OF CONSERVATION

https://twitter.com/Pontifex : God, who cannot be outdone in generosity, still uses you and me to help our brothers and sisters.

ANGLICAN, CATHOLIC LEADERS ASK ISRAEL TO PROTECT HOLY SITES IN JERUSALEM

Joint Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols about recent events in Jerusalem

(March 5, 2018) – The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols have called on the Israeli Government to protect the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.

In a joint letter to the Israeli Ambassador to London, Mark Regev, the two faith leaders expressed their deep concern at the events unfolding in Jerusalem of unprecedented, punitive and discriminatory taxation of Christian Institutions and their fears that this dispute could inflict longterm damage on relations between the two communities.

The letter stated that, “they threaten to cause serious damage to the Christian presence in Jerusalem, to Christian families, and to the Christian institutions, including hospitals and schools, which serve many of the poorest people, regardless of their background.

“It is our view that the measures being pressed in Jerusalem and in the Knesset are a clear and evident threat to the status quo. These violations of historic agreements risk undermining prospects for peaceful coexistence between communities, at a time of already heightened tensions.”

The two Archbishops are praying for the peace of Jerusalem and have urged the Israeli government to address this crisis as a matter of urgency and immediately enter dialogue with the local Churches to find a resolution.

VATICAN MUSEUMS RELEASE BOOK ON ETHICS OF CONSERVATION

The Ethnological Materials Laboratory of the Vatican Museums has released a new book entitled “Ethics and Practice of Conservation: Manual for the conservation of ethnographic and multi-material assets”.

Available in English, Italian, and Spanish, the Vatican Museums’ new book on the ethics and practice of conservation is the result of nearly a century of experience at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum.

“Ethics and Practice of Conservation: Manual for the conservation of ethnographic and multi-material assets”, edited by Stefania Pandozy and Mathilde De Bonis, also contains a rich collection of photographs.

The images succeed in showing the ethics underlying the conservation practice of Vatican experts.

The Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum was set up by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and is one of the few in the world to preserve testimonies and artistic artifacts, and spiritual traditions of all peoples.

The new book details 16 study cases of conservation efforts performed upon objects including prehistoric flints, a piece of Japanese armor, a Polynesian reliquary, Chinese paintings, a wampum belt, and artworks made of Amazonian feathers.

(JFL: You’ll really want to click on this link to view the accompanying video:
http://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-03/vatican-museums-release-book-on-ethics-of-conservation.html#play)

CHINA HITS OUT AT POPE AND BANS TRIPS TO VATICAN CITY

An interesting story from the UK about China and the Vatican – especially given the announcement at a recent press conference in the Vatican that the two countries have mutually agreed to loan artworks to each other. China will send 40 works of art to be exhibited in the Vatican Museums and the identical number of works from the Vatican will be sent to China to go on display in Beijing’s Forbidden City, The exhibits will run simultaneously in March, 2018.

CHINA HITS OUT AT POPE AND BANS TRIPS TO VATICAN CITY

(Nov. 30, Express.co.uk) – Chinese travel agents are being threatened with hefty fines unless they cancel scheduled tours to the Vatican City amid strained relations between Beijing and the seat of the Catholic Church.

Tour operators are reportedly being ordered to “delete or cancel” the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica from their list of destinations.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), any company found to be in contravention of the state-issued directive could be fined up to £34,000 (300,000 yuan).

The US-backed news organisation says it had spoken with employees from several travel agencies which had all received formal instructions to prevent Chinese tourists from travelling to the Vatican.

Relations between China’s ruling Communist Party and the Vatican have been strained since Chinese Catholics fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949

And in 1950, a Catholic priest was jailed for complicity in an alleged plot to assassinate then-supreme leader Mao.

The Asian superpower has since made it clear it would like to restore relations with the Vatican, but only if it agrees to sever links with Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province.

The Vatican is the only European state with which Taiwan has full diplomatic relations, whereas every other EU nation recognises the island as a Chinese territory.

RFA says an employee at the Tuniu China International Travel Service said her company had received orders to remove the Vatican from its itinerary.

Millions of tourists visit the Vatican City every year.

He said: “We used to, but we’re not offering that itinerary any more.

“Groups aren’t going there any more.

“We received a directive from the State Tourism Bureau telling us not to let people go there, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Vatican covers just a quarter of a square mile, but is home to a series of world-class tourist attractions including St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

PEOPLE AND CULTURES MEET AT THE MENORAH EXHIBIT IN ROME

After two busy weekends of travel – to Cairo and Fatima – this week is projected to be a relatively quiet one for Pope Francis, it seems, with his principal public outings being the Wednesday general audience and the Sunday Regina Coeli. He did meet this morning with the Vatican’s nuncio to Malta and with Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, and 40 prelates from Peru who are in Rome on their ad limina visit.  The Vatican also published the schedule for his day-long visit to Genoa, Italy on Saturday, May 27.

PEOPLE AND CULTURES MEET AT THE MENORAH EXHIBIT IN ROME

I had a fascinating morning that included a lovely meeting with Dina Gorni, an archeologist from the Israeli Antiquities Authority who has been in Rome as part of the team that has put together the exhibit on the Menorah that is running simltaneously in the Braccio di Carlo Magno (the Charlemagne wing), just off St. Peter’s Square and in Rome’s Jewish Museum next to the synagogue. Dina specializes in Lower Galilee and the Valleys District of the IAA.

I interviewed Dina for “Vatican Insider” and Vatican Radio and it was a look at a world premiere, I think you could say, because the Vatican and Rome’s Jewish community have teamed up for the first-ever joint exhibit by their respective museums. The centerpiece is, of course, the menorah, the seven-armed candelabrum that we read about in the Jewish Torah and literature and is also depicted in both Jewish and Christian art over many centuries.

This just-opened exhibit, entitled “The Menorah: Worship, History and Myth,” is on my agenda in coming days. Some of the pieces are from the Louvre and London’s National Gallery.

What so excited me in preparing this interview was the fact that Dina was one of three people present when the celebrated Magdala Stone was uncovered! You know Mary Magdalen – Mary of Magdala. If you’ve been to the Holy Land, you surely have been to Magdala. You’ll hear Dina talk about that discovery just about 20 inches below ground that had been walked on and built on and gardens planted over for two millennia without anyone knowing of the temple that lay just under their feet!

From the IAA website: A synagogue from the Second Temple period (50 BCE-100 CE) was exposed in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting at a site slated for the construction of a hotel on Migdal beach, in an area owned by the Ark New Gate Company. In the middle of the synagogue is a stone that is engraved with a seven-branched menorah (candelabrum), the likes of which have never been seen. The excavations were directed by archaeologists Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najar of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Read more here: http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1601

Then there is the great mystery of the whereabouts of the famed Golden Menorah from the first Temple of Jerusalem that was taken to Rome by troops of the Roman emperor Titus who had destroyed the temple. You can see a depiction on the Arch of Titus, near the Colosseum, of the menorah being carried into Rome. All traces were lost when Vandals sacked Rome in the 5^th century and apparently carried off that menorah.

Why have I found this all so exciting?

I have always loved libraries. When we were little, Mom frequently brought us to the Oak Park Public Library where we enjoyed the children’s section – small tables and chairs, colorful books, etc. When I was old enough to walk the 6 or 7 blocks to the library by myself I remember always looking for books that would bring new adventures into my life, especially travel.

Among the first books I took home were great reads for a young mind on ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Some were interesting historical accounts and others were novels – but both instilled in me the desire to travel and especially to know these countries and their history.

I became fascinated by these cultures, so very old, so very different from where I lived – different people and dress and unusual names and traditions. I read stories about people called archeologists who sought out and excavated and discovered ancient ruins and tombs and paved roads and baths and amphorea with preserved olive oil or wine or honey.

That was it for me! I’d become an archeologist and have similar adventures and discover sonething the world had never seen – like Dina did at Magdala.

Years changed things and, of course, I’m a writer and reporter and still have a lot of wonderful adventures – like meeting a real archeologist!

If you are in Rome, seriously think of going to this exhibit. Hopefully I’l have more later – photos, etc. And I’ll let you known when you can hear our interview.