Statue of Saint John Paul II at the Vatican Museum
We practically breezed through the Vatican Museum. I thought we went through it much faster than I thought we should but I can’t deny that I was feeling the effects of museum burnout. You look at too many beautiful things at one time and you will get tired of it eventually. We emerged at an open area, probably the roof of the museum. There was a large tent off to one side and it seems to be some kind of temporary exhibit. I knew that there was a canonization within the last few days, I would have gone there had I known I would be in the area at that time. A canonization is the process where someone is declared a saint in Catholicism. Prior to becoming a saint, the candidate is beatified and they are called “Blessed”.
Iconic Photo of Saint John Paul II at the Vatican Museum
Pope John XXIII and perhaps more famously Pope John Paul II were recently declared saints. Their photos drape the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Pope John Paul II was one of the longest reigning popes and he has a profound impact on world affairs, this despite having no political powers. Pope John Paul II has endeared himself to the people both Catholic and non-Catholic. Such is his charisma that when he passed away, people were clamoring for him to be declared a saint, “Santo Subito” or “saint now”. The succeeding pope obliged by fast tracking his sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI waived the mandatory five year wait before anyone can be beatified and beatified him and more recently, Pope Francis canonized him, just days before I arrived in Rome.
I am not familiar enough with Pope John XXIII but I do know of this retreat center which was named after him. I was there I was still studying. But similar to Pope John Paul II, he commanded respect and was beloved by a lot. Anyway, the canonization is huge event in Catholicism and it is also the reason why there seemed to be a huge number of people in Rome. I wasn’t sure how it is normally but I thought there were a bit too many people here. The exhibit at the Vatican Museum featured a lot of photos from both popes. A lot of the photos I have seen before and can be considered iconic photos.
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