Day 2 in Rome: The Grand St. Peter’s Basilica, Hitting My First Wall of Catholic Dogma, Mad Dash to the Sistine Chapel

This is part of an ongoing story; if you are just joining the journey, you may want to start at the beginning.

Day 2 - Rome

You will probably find this weird, but to my utter delight they serve arugula, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for breakfast. There is also more of that delicious sliced meat and cheese. Oh there is American breakfast food here too, but I hardly notice it (I think I’m the only one eating the arugula…). It is a huge buffet, the best breakfast we would have anywhere during this trip, and I grab some rice cakes and fruit for snacks later in the day.

Our official tour guide has arrived  (I’ll call him Gus) and I quickly learn just how hard core Catholic he is.  We pray most of the way on the 45 minute bus ride to Vatican City.  Don’t get me wrong, I think prayer can be extraordinarily valuable and useful.  Not having grown up a Catholic, I have my own way to pray and feel a bit uncomfortable with long stretches of time in Catholic prayer.  I do my best to focus on the amazing sites I am seeing through the bus window – boy is Rome beautiful, graffiti and all. 

Our first stop is St. Peter's Square, of course. I did not expect to be so utterly awed. When I walk through the columns, I feel grateful that such a place exists and that I have the grace to be able to see it. It's grand in the biggest way – the basilica is huge, and out from the basilica, two arms of columns wrap around the square.  Gus explains that it’s the arms of the church holding its devoted followers.  Whatever the story is, I think it’s gorgeous.  With perfect skies with occasional fluffy white clouds, it makes the saints, perched high on the walls of columns, look like they are in an otherworldly realm.

While we wait in the very long line to get into the basilica (the line wraps all the way around the square), Gus gives us a rah-rah pro-Catholic sermon about how Catholicism is the only religion sanctioned by Jesus because he told St. Peter to build a church – and look! – we are standing right in front of that church!  It’s proof!  Of course I learned from Greek Orthodox teachers who said that Orthodoxy is the first and oldest Christian religion.  I wonder if everyone thinks they have the corner market on God, and in this case, Jesus (kind of like “my kung fu is better than your kung fu”).  I listen politely for several reasons, 1) this is technically my parents’ trip, I’m along for the ride, 2) I figure “when in Rome…,” 3) hey, I’ve participated in different spiritual rituals and lectures of all kinds through my life, I can chalk this one up to another fascinating religious experience, and 4) I still don’t quite realize yet what I’m in for.  Then he says something about his brother-in-law who is a Lutheran, who will hopefully convert to Catholicism one day. That stops me in my tracks a bit. Ok, if he loves his religion, more power to him. I just want to ask him – what’s wrong with being Lutheran?    

He then explains that the fall of communism was singularly due to the message from the apparition of Mary at Fatima (Portugual) about Russia (she gave a warning that we needed to pray for the Soviet Union before it destroyed the world) and how the Pope subsequently consecrated Russia and Eastern Europe to Mary. Somehow, when the Berlin wall fell, they forgot to cover that little ditty about Mary and the Pope in the news.

As we continue to inch ahead in line, I have an opportunity to further reflect on Gus’ sermons.  He is a very sweet, humble man.  He’s just not humble about his faith or the church.  I don’t agree with his implication that all souls are better off being Catholic, but I know that being intolerant of intolerance doesn’t help.  Before we got off the bus this morning, I heard a little voice of insight in my head explaining when we see the world through the filter of the “good vs. evil” duality, and we cannot transcend it, the conclusion of the church (and other religions) are inevitable – and, for many people, very compelling.  When I see it from that perspective, I can try to put myself in our tour guide’s shoes and see why he believes the way he does. It’s all about perspective, all about our filters with which we view the world.

I didn’t know that this would be just the beginning of my struggle with the Catholic impulse to “save” others. Growing up Orthodox Christian, my parents and our priest explained that we do not proselytize.  Their stance is if people want to join our church, the door is open, but we force no one to join.  So who says anyone needs saving? Even if they do not intend it to be, the things my Catholic travelers are saying sound very condescending to me.

Still, it’s not like I’m a saint.  Though I may not have tried to proselytize with the Orthodox Church, I can think of so many times in my life when I’ve discovered something I loved – whether it was a spiritual practice, a way of eating, or a political stance – and spoke about it with such zeal that the people closest to me felt I was shoving it down their throats. I feel terribly sorry about those moments, and hope the casualties of my zeal have forgiven my ignorance and can see my innocence and confused love. So I too can have patience for my fellow pilgrims.

St. Peter’s Basilica  The inside of the basilica is just mind blowing. It is an inspiring work of art, containing hundreds, maybe thousands, of paintings and statues. I am in awe but am quickly brought back to reality by the other tourists pushing me in every direction. I can't take many photos without getting some stranger's head in my photo, unless I take photos of the ceiling! But I am still grateful for the experience. (Here's a photo of the ceiling!)

Afterwards we walk out of the square towards the Vatican Museum and stop at a little pizza place down a side street. I have one slice with broccoli and sausage and another with arugula, tomato, and ricotta salata. Italian pizza has a lovely balance of toppings and crust, not overwhelmed with cheese like in the US. It is delicious!

We proceed to the Vatican Museum because of course we have to see the Sistine Chapel. I had not read ahead of time about the museum, because I didn't know we would have time to go there. I was not prepared for room after room of jaw dropping art from all over the world.

The crowds once again broke me out of my reverie as they crushed us into moving along quickly, whether we wanted to or not. It strikes me that it's like Catholic Disneyland, but with real art. We are caught in the crowd's mad dash to the Sistine Chapel. (Here's a rushed photo of one ceiling painting!)

I am already overwhelmed by beauty by the time we get there, but even so I am stunned into silence. I try to split my attention best I can between not being a victim of a tourist stampede and gazing at the walls and ceilings. It is covered with paintings of depth and richness, both in detail as well as the stories they tell - about history, religion, and the political climate in which they were painted. In a strange way, I’m glad we aren’t allowed to take photos in here; it’s too much to capture with a camera, and I just want to digest it all without doing anything. I need hours in here with an art historian talking in my ear, but (sigh) we move on after just minutes. I would love to return again on a day that is not so crowded.

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Afterwards we have our first gelato across the street. I don't recommend the gelato closest to the tourist places; I was not very impressed. But later on in the afternoon we find a second gelato place that is way better called Blue Ice (yes, of course we ate gelato twice in one day).

Early in the evening after daily mass (I think we were at the Sacred Heart Church?), we leave for dinner at our hotel. On the bus ride home, we pray some more. Really, more prayer? Are we going to do this the whole trip?  I am exhausted enough that the chanting of the rosary lulls me into a deep and satisfying nap.

Coming Monday: Day 3 in  Rome :   Seeing the Pope -- Or How to Survive a Roman Catholic Rock Concert, A Dreamier Gelato, The Holy Stairs -- A Lesson on Indulgences.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights! Post a comment here or email Sonya@illuminatedwisdom.com.