Pagan Rome

We began a large part of our stay in Rome without even setting foot in a church! We stayed in the southern district of Testaccio, and on our first day we walked up towards the Colosseum and Foro Romanum. It is remarkable that such an ancient civilisation still bears such a mark upon Rome's cityscape.

It also seems a great wonder that many of these decadent buildings, now largely in ruins, were erected around the same time that the King of Kings was born and raised in Roman occupied Palestine. Rome is a beast of constant evolution. The great Babylon; the 'whore' responsible for the death of countless Christian martyrs, including Ss Peter and Paul, the founding pillars of the Catholic Church. Barbaric Rome; a civilisation of great technological ability yet debased moral practices, corruption, and oppression.

But this destructive Pagan empire was eventually evangelised, its great basilicas and temples turned over to the true worship of God made Man, truly present in the continual renewal of His sacrifice in the Mass. The conversion of Constantine, vividly portrayed in this fresco directed by Raphael in the Vatican, was the baptism of an entire world empire to the Christian faith. For many, this is seen as a disaster and corruption of the suffering christian faith. But for the wise among us, it was the glorification of beliefs already enshrined and practised by centuries of loyal, faithful martyrs. It is a great mystery; the transformation of pagan humanity into a divine and fruitful institution.

The Roman Empire eventually collapsed, but its indelible Christian mark remained - the city where Ss Peter and Paul spilt their blood for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Ruling sovereignties and powers have come and gone, but Rome will always remain Eternal Rome - the city deigned by God to be home to his eternal family.