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At the Tomb of Peter


Foto dal Ufficio Scavi, Città del Vaticano (http://www.scavi.va/content/scavi/it.html)

On the morning of Saturday 24 th February, about fifteen of us accompanied by our rector, Fr Javier Canosa, were able to visit the Vatican Necropolis, located 10 meters deep under the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican in correspondence to the central nave of the Basilica. The Necropolis belongs to a funeral area of ​​the Roman era, formed over time next to the disappeared circus of Nero, where pagan and Christian tombs co-existing dates from the period between the first and fourth century AD. But above all, there is the tomb of St. Peter. We were welcomed by an excellent guide, who accompanied us throughout the tour. We first appreciated several beautiful sepulchres brought to light thanks to the excavations undertaken during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII in the years between 1939 and 1949. And then heading towards the area below the current altar of the Basilica, we arrived at the place where the tomb of St. Peter is located and where his remains are kept; enclosed in a box of Plexiglas, which are believed to belong to St. Peter's. Here, we observed some moments of prayer, while also remembering Pope Francis. Certainly, it was a special grace, for which we thank the Lord; to have been in the same place where the first Christians visited as pilgrims to pray to the Apostle Peter.

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