Father Dave and Brett joined Lino Rulli and Tyler Veghte of “The Catholic Guy Show” on SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel for a pilgrimage to Italy for the Jubilee Year. They led 90 pilgrims through holy sites in Siena, Florence, and Rome.
While in Rome, Father Dave begins, “One function of a Jubilee Year is that pilgrims come from all around the world and pass through at least one, if not four, of the Holy Doors that are at the four major basilicas in Rome,” listing the churches as Saint Peter, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran, and Saint Mary Major.
LISTEN: Jubilee Reflections on the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica With Joan Watson
As they wait to enter the holy door at Saint Mary Major, they discuss how the basilica is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and has a connection to Saint Helena. “Saint Helena took pieces of the crib of the actual nativity from Jesus’ birth and brought them to Rome in the fourth century,” Lino says. “This nativity is [the Church saying] let’s connect the Holy Land to the Holy Roman Empire and to the city of Rome.”
In more recent history, they note that the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” is located in this basilica. Lino explains that after a plague in the sixth century, “That icon became known as basically the protector for the health of the people of the city of Rome. It has been in this Basilica of Saint Mary Major for centuries, and the people of Rome have always had a great devotion to it.”
They highlight Pope Francis’ love of this icon, and how he chose to be buried at this basilica. “One of the papal titles is ‘Bishop of Rome.’ He really embraced that,” Lino says. “Every time Pope Francis left Rome, before going to the airport, he always made a pit stop here. After every visit, wherever in the world he was, he landed at the airport and his first stop was always here.”
LISTEN: Reflecting on Pope Francis and His Papacy With John Allen, Jr.
Next they visit Saint Peter’s Basilica to enter the Holy Door and marvel at the beauty of the largest church in the world. Brett shares his emotions upon seeing Michelangelo’s “Pieta” and says, “I’ve seen it before, so I don’t know why it emotionally just kind of hit me like a wave. …A mom holding her dead son, that just washed over me. It’s such a gorgeous, perfect statue too. He’s obviously lifeless. Jesus is dead, and she just looks so sad.”
Father Dave notes Michelangelo’s choice to depict Mary as a young mom. “Mary logically would have been, by the time Jesus dies, at least in her 40s, even if she was a very young teenager when she gave birth. He intentionally made her look young, so that we have more sympathy for a young mom who’s lost her son,” he says. “Also he was [depicting her] chastity. We believe Mary is ever virgin, and she would always be youthful in an artistic way. That’s why he depicted her looking younger than Jesus there, which doesn’t make logical sense, but it does amplify that emotion.”
Lino adds, “The church is not a museum, and the whole point of this is not to get a selfie or to post something on Instagram to say ‘I saw this,’ but it’s supposed to evoke emotion, worship, and veneration.”
LISTEN: Learning More About Pope Leo XIV With EWTN’s Dr. Matthew Bunson
The pilgrimage group later attends Pope Leo XIV’s general audience in Saint Peter’s Square, and they express their excitement for seeing the first American Pope in person. Father Dave says, “During these general audiences, they have for many years been presented first by the Pope in Italian, and then other people come up to a podium and read the same script that the Pope read in several of their languages. However, for the last couple of weeks, Pope Leo has also been reading the same text in Spanish and in English.”
In his reflection, Pope Leo focuses on finding hope in Christ’s healings. “In the reading, we heard the blind Bartimaeus cry out to Jesus with a plea that is itself an act of faith: ‘Jesus, have mercy on me,’” Pope Leo says. “It is significant that when Jesus asks Bartimaeus to come to him, the blind beggar immediately throws off his cloak — his one possession and the sole source of his security. In this sense, he stands before Jesus in all his vulnerability, trusting in the Lord’s power to restore his sight.”
He continues, “We too, recognizing our own need for healing, are asked to come to the Lord in all our frailty, leaving behind our own cloaks, our securities, and our comfort zones in order to experience his healing power.”
Stay tuned for more highlights of the Jubilee pilgrimage coming this Thursday.
