Urbi et Orbi

Merry Christmas!

Today we went back to the Vatican for the Pope's Urbi et Orbi blessing. This was a very solemn affair, preceded by a parade of the Swiss Guard and the various Italian military forces. We got there a little after 11, and were able to stand fairly close, but St. Peter's Square was totally filled by noon. The Urbi et Orbi (to the City [of Rome] and the World) is delivered from the central loggia above the main doors to St. Peter's Basilica. The address was given in Italian but the translation is available on the Vatican web site. After the address he gave a brief Christmas greeting in over 60 languages, including English, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Swedish, etc, concluding with the solemn blessing. It was a pretty cool way of recalling how the church is "catholic" (or "universal") in the true sense of the word.

The metro stopped running at 1:00, so we decided to walk back to our apartment. It was only about 4 km and there was not much traffic on the roads, so it was a pleasant walk. When we reached the stretch between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum alongside the Roman Forum the road was closed to cars, so hundreds of people filled the street. It was breath-taking to be able to enjoy the ancient sights without the usual traffic congestion. Fortunately for us the rain which was forecasted didn't materialize until much later.

For now, ciao!