All posts tagged: Rome

Clutched by the global faithful and draped on candles and statues, rosaries abound for Pope Francis

Clutched by the global faithful and draped on candles and statues, rosaries abound for Pope Francis

Published by skeptic

VATICAN CITY (AP) — As Pope Francis remains hospitalized in Rome, thousands of faithful from around the world have been gathering by St. Peter’s and by the hospital to pray the rosary for him. Dating to the Middle Ages and popularized in the 16th century, the chain of beads that comprises a rosary is one of the most visible symbols of Christianity — handheld by young and old, hanging from monks’ belts, draped around rearview mirrors in vehicles, crafted in precious stones, olive tree wood from the Holy Land or cheap, even gaudy plastic. Repetitive prayer exists across multiple faiths. For Catholics, the rosary consists of reciting one “Our father” and ten “Hail Mary” prayers, five times over — starting each “decade” with a brief meditation on different mysteries about the life of Jesus and Mary. They vary depending on the day of the week — from “glorious” ones like Mary’s assumption to “sorrowful” ones like Jesus climbing the Calvary hill. “Mary is the mediator between God and humankind,” said the Rev. Enzo Fortunato, a …

Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher Emperor of Rome

Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher Emperor of Rome

Published by skeptic

  SUMMARY Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus succeeded to power together in 161 CE, as the adopted heirs of Antonius Pius. At the start of their reign, Verus conducted a successful war against the Parthians. His death in 169 BCE left Marcus to serve as general of the Marcommanic Wars on the German frontier, which concluded in 180 CE. During Marcus’ reign, the Antonine Plague may have killed as many as five million people. Marcus, who died in 180 CE, chose his son Commodus as his partner and successor. Marcus Aurelius is remembered as a wise philosopher-emperor, largely thanks to the survival of his Meditations.   For visitors to Rome today, a colossal bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius welcomes them to the city. His central placement in Michaelangelo’s wonderfully symmetrical redesign of the Capitoline Hill has helped cement Marcus’ reputation as one of Rome’s most important emperors. His surviving stoic Meditations and correspondence reveal a deep soul, in stark contrast to the paranoid and megalomaniac emperors depicted in surviving biographies. He was also the …

Holy Year about to start in Rome

Holy Year about to start in Rome

Published by Sam

VATICAN CITY —  Pope Francis on Tuesday formally inaugurates the 2025 Holy Year, reviving an ancient church tradition encouraging the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome, amid new security fears following a Christmas market attack in Germany. At the start of Christmas Eve Mass, Francis will push open the Holy Door on St. Peter’s Basilica, which will stay open throughout the year to allow the estimated 32 million pilgrims projected to visit Rome to pass through. FILE – Pope Francis pushes open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, formally launching the Holy Year of Mercy, at the Vatican, Dec. 8, 2015. The first Holy Year was called in 1300, and in recent times they are generally celebrated every 25 to 50 years. Pilgrims who participate can obtain “indulgences” — the centuries-old feature of the Catholic Church related to the forgiveness of sins that roughly amounts to a “get out of Purgatory free” card. The last regular Jubilee was in 2000, when St. John Paul II ushered in the church’s third millennium. Francis declared a …

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Published by skeptic

Sarah Adams delivers another charming contemporary romance with “When in Rome,” the first book in her new series that skillfully blends classic Hollywood nostalgia with modern romance tropes. Following the success of her TikTok sensation “The Cheat Sheet,” Adams proves she understands what romance readers crave—authentic characters, palpable chemistry, and enough emotional depth to make the journey meaningful. The Story In this clever twist on Audrey Hepburn’s “Roman Holiday,” pop superstar Amelia Rose (known professionally as Rae Rose) finds herself stranded in Rome, Kentucky after an impulsive escape from her overwhelming celebrity life. When her car breaks down in front of Noah Walker’s house, the grumpy pie shop owner reluctantly offers her shelter, setting up a delicious clash between a burned-out celebrity seeking authenticity and a small-town baker protecting his heart. Character Analysis Amelia Rose Adams crafts a relatable heroine in Amelia despite her celebrity status. Her struggle with identity—being Rae Rose the pop star versus Amelia the person—feels genuine rather than manufactured. The author does an excellent job showing how fame has isolated Amelia …

The Social War (91-87 BCE): Rome vs Italy

The Social War (91-87 BCE): Rome vs Italy

Published by skeptic

  By the early first century BCE, the Roman Republic could be forgiven for resting on its laurels. It was by now the dominant power in the ancient Mediterranean: Carthage had been destroyed, Greece and Macedonia conquered. However, in the decades that followed, the Republic pitched from one crisis to the next. Overseas, they faced the formidable might of Mithridates. Closer to home, war erupted across the Italian peninsula as Rome’s former allies—the Socii—turned on her. The conflict that followed—the Social War—ushered in an era of political turmoil that pushed the Republic ever closer to the precipice of civil war…   Uneasy Neighbors: The Eve of the Social War The Death of Aemilius Paulus at the Battle of Cannae, John Trumbull, 1773. Source: the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven   In 216 BCE, the Roman Republic stood in very real danger of total collapse. Locked in a life-or-death struggle against the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War, two Roman consuls and most of their Italian armies had just been obliterated by Hannibal’s tactical masterclass …

Francis Ford Coppola Compares Fall of Rome to American Politics

Francis Ford Coppola Compares Fall of Rome to American Politics

Published by skeptic

Francis Ford Coppola got political while discussing his new film Megalopolis on Monday, suggesting that the upcoming presidential election may mirror the downfall of Rome. At a conversation as part of the New York Film Festival — which was also streamed to 65 theaters across the U.S. and Canada with support from Imax — Coppola was joined by Robert De Niro and Spike Lee to talk about his long journey to making “a Roman epic set in modern America as Rome,” as he described it. The film follows a conflict between Cesar (played by Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian future, and his opposition Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo. “People always said to me, ‘Why do you want to make a movie about America as Rome?’ Well, today, America is Rome, and they’re about to go through the same experience, for the same reasons that Rome lost its republic and ended up with an emperor. It was very prescient to do …

How Slavery in Ancient Rome Drove Farmers to Poverty

How Slavery in Ancient Rome Drove Farmers to Poverty

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  In the 2nd century BCE, rapid socio-economic change was afoot for the plebeian farmers of the Roman Republic. According to the traditional historical narrative, these citizen farmers, who owned family-run smallholdings, were overburdened with military duties during the period of the Second Punic War onwards. No longer able to effectively run their farms, they were displaced by wealthy landowners who established large agricultural estates worked by slaves. This led to an exodus of now landless farmers who became destitute proletarii in urban Rome.   Citizen Farmers: The Backbone of the Roman Republic  Cincinnatus, Léon Bénouville, 1844. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Plebeian farmers were the backbone of the Roman Republic. By the late 6th century BCE, after the last Etruscan king of Rome had been overthrown, the young Roman Republic had become a state largely populated by citizen smallholders of the plebeian class. These smallholders were at the heart of Rome’s agricultural output, but they also served in the military and participated politically as citizens.   The Romans grew a variety of grains including wheat …

The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF

The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF

Published by skeptic

And for a time he was the president of a company on whose board he served for more than a decade: Istituto Farmacologico Serono. LAND OF MILK AND HONEY On December 8, 1953, Pius XII celebrated a new pontifical initiative: the opening of the Church’s inaugural Marian Year, aimed to “revive Catholic Faith and earnest devotion to the Mother of God” that the observant might “conform their lives to the image of the same Virgin.” The day was a triumph, but a few weeks later Pius XII suffered a debilitating attack of hiccups, vomiting, and nausea, for which he sought treatment from one Paul Niehans. (The Swiss surgeon and former Protestant minister practiced a controversial “rejuvenation treatment.” At the Clinique La Prairie on Lake Geneva, he injected the buttocks of his famous patients—rumored to include King George VI, Hedda Hopper, and Somerset Maugham—with the cells of fetal lambs and calves, delivered via cesarean section from the bodies of their freshly slaughtered mothers. For the pope, he made house calls.) By the power of God, Niehans’s …

How to spend a weekend in Rome

How to spend a weekend in Rome

Published by skeptic

Armando al Pantheon is a charming throwback to the days when the centro storico was full of family-run trattorias serving hearty old-fashioned home cooking. And its location right opposite the Pantheon, Rome’s most satisfyingly intact ancient temple, means you can fit in culture and pasta in a single lunch break. It’s a short stroll from here to the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, which houses more Caravaggios plus works by Breughels, Titian, Raphael and Velasquez, in an austerely aristocratic setting. You’re well placed, afterwards, for a shopping spree, either in the chic (and costly) boutiques of Via dei Condotti and around, or along cheap-and-cheerful Via dei Giubbonari.   Source link

The 27 best things to do in Rome

The 27 best things to do in Rome

Published by skeptic

The challenge when visiting Rome is deciding what not to do: there are so many churches, archaeological sites, piazzas and paintings to see that a lifetime is hardly enough. Don’t try to cram too much in; Rome moves at a slower pace than many northern Italian cities, and to enjoy it you should take time out in pavement cafés as well as shuffle round the Sistine Chapel. Read on for our experts’ tips for the best things to do in Rome, including at night and unusual options. To help you plan your city break, we also have guides for Rome’s best restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, free things to do and how to spend a weekend there.  Find things to do by area City wide Zip through secret alleys on a Vespa What could be more Roman than zipping around the Colosseum on the back of a Vespa? A great way to see sights away from the centre of town, which can be tricky to get to otherwise. In a half-day private tour you’ll see a great …