🌿 Dzika Figa on the Way

With the Holy Father Francis and John Paul II. Rome 2021 – our first pilgrimage to the Vatican

Dzika Figa

18 September 2021

6 min czytania

Rome during the pandemic – silence in the heart of the Church

September 2021.
The world had not yet returned to normal. In St Peter’s Basilica we moved about in face masks. St Peter’s Square was not as densely packed as usual. The silence was more audible.

We stayed in the Jewish quarter of Rome.
Cobblestones, small tables outside the restaurants, long evening conversations, the hum of voices and lamplight reflecting off the ruins of ancient walls.

Roman columns nearby.
An Israeli flag somewhere.
In the morning we discovered that behind the fence there was a synagogue and a Jewish school – children were studying the Torah. The Old Testament, out of which our Christianity also grows.

It was extraordinary – to sleep in a place where the history of God’s covenant with humanity is so visible.

The Vatican – at last, with my Father

The most important thing, however, was one place:
St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

And one moment.

I stood at the tomb of St John Paul II.

I was never given the chance to see him in person.
My mother, the late Emilia, received Holy Communion from the hands of John Paul II in Białystok during his pilgrimage to Poland. I did not.

He was elected pope in the year I was born.
He had always been „my Pope”.
A father. Dad.

To stand at his tomb in St Peter’s Basilica was like coming home.

Not to a historical figure.
To a Father.

In 2021 the tomb of St John Paul II was already in the Chapel of St Sebastian in St Peter’s Basilica – a place where pilgrims from all over the world pause in silence. A white marble slab, a simple inscription: Sanctus Ioannes Paulus II.

So many years of dreaming.
And at last I was „with my Father”.

Santa Maria Maggiore – the basilica that captured my heart

The second place that completely enchanted me was
the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) in Rome.

One of the four major basilicas.
One of the oldest Marian churches in the world.

In 2021 there was as yet no tomb of Pope Francis there, nor the relics of Carlo Acutis (which appeared later in the context of Rome as the place of his beatification), but even then the place had an extraordinary power.

The vaults.
The golden ceilings.
Mosaics from the fifth century.

Architecture that literally takes your breath away.

It is here that the icon of the Salus Populi Romani is kept – Our Lady, Protectress of the Roman People – before which popes have prayed for centuries.

I walked in and I knew:
this is where I want to come back.

Rome – more than a city

From the Jewish quarter we crossed Rome on foot.
The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, ancient ruins, squares, fountains, churches on every corner.

But for me that first pilgrimage had two hearts:

The tomb of St John Paul II in St Peter’s Basilica
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

It was our first religious journey.
A dream fulfilled.
A return to our roots.

Why is it worth going on pilgrimage to Rome as a Catholic?

If you are a Catholic, Rome is not merely the capital of Italy.
It is the heart of the Church.

Practical tips for pilgrims to Rome

Book tickets online while you are still at home – the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the climb to the dome of St Peter’s Basilica. In September the queues are long.
Allow at least three days – Rome takes time. Hurrying robs it of its depth.
See the city on foot – if your legs are up to it, you can link most of the most important places (the Vatican, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum) on a walk.
Go to St Peter’s Basilica early in the morning – before 8 a.m. it is quieter and it is easier to find a moment of prayer at the tomb of St John Paul II.
Dress appropriately – covered shoulders and knees are obligatory in churches; you can buy anything you need from street vendors, but why pay over the odds.
Leave room in your plan for silence – do not schedule every minute. The most important moments happen not in the timetable, but in the heart.
Do not sightsee like a tourist – St Peter’s Basilica is not an attraction, and Santa Maria Maggiore is not only architecture. Remain there in beauty and in prayer.

Places worth visiting

St Peter’s Basilica – the Vatican

The heart of the Catholic Church and the resting place of St John Paul II. This is where the spiritual centre of Christianity beats – beneath Michelangelo’s dome and beside the tomb of St Peter the Apostle. It is best to come early in the morning, to experience the silence and to pray.

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – Rome

One of Rome’s four major basilicas and one of the oldest Marian sanctuaries in the world. It astonishes with its golden vaults and its fifth-century mosaics. It is here that the icon of the Salus Populi Romani is kept, before which popes prayed for centuries – especially Pope Francis, who entrusted his pontificate and his journeys there many times. It is a place of exceptional Marian significance for the whole Church. Here you will find the tomb of Pope Francis.

St Peter’s Square – the Vatican

A symbol of the unity of the universal Church. It is here that popes meet the faithful from all over the world. Even outside audiences it is worth coming here in the evening to see Bernini’s colonnade embracing the pilgrims like the arms of the Church.

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum – Rome

Not only a monument of antiquity, but a place where the first Christians were martyred. Walking through the Roman Forum, you can understand how the Church, which has endured for centuries, grew out of the Roman Empire.

Basilica of St John Lateran – Rome

The cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, that is, of the pope, and the oldest Christian basilica in the world. This is formally where the Holy Father’s “throne” is. The inscription on the façade reads: Mother and Head of all the churches of the City and of the World. It is a place more Roman than Vatican – less touristy, more liturgical.

The Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta) – Rome

According to tradition these are the stairs from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem, which Jesus climbed on his way to judgement. Pilgrims ascend them on their knees, in silence and in prayer. It is one of the most moving places of the Passion in Rome.