Rome is probably the best place in the world to spend Easter. Well, maybe besides Jerusalem but it's definitely better than staying in a Muslim country. There were actually bomb threats and heightened security for churches in the UAE during Holy Week so the timing to leave for Rome was just perfect. Easter 2008 in Rome was my second pilgrimmage to Rome (my first was for World Youth Day 2000 with Pope John Paul II), but this time I wasn't with my parents. This time I was with my brother and a bunch of my friends and we had Rome for the taking. I even met up with some fellow Midtown advisors (both from my year and past alumni), including Chris "Juan" Wester, who I last saw at the end of Midtown last summer, and Paul "Parker" Foley, the last time I saw him was when he visited Notre Dame during a football weekend last Fall.
Traveling with family is a much different experience than traveling with friends. It's almost like you get two different perspectives on the place you travel to, depending on who you go with. Since I was in Rome (and all of the rest of Italy) with my family my first time, going back again with my brother and my friends wasn't anything like August 2000.
It felt almost as if I was in an entirely different city this time. For one thing, I am much older now than last time and I guess you can say, more intellectually curious and also more devout and serious in my faith, which made me appreciate being in Rome a lot more (especially for Easter). And for an entire week, we had total freedom in Rome. We could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Yeah, we were officially there with UNIV but we had hours and hours of free time where they would just tell us to do whatever we wanted until we had a group event together (Mass at St. Peter's, dinner/lunch, bus ride back to the residence, etc.) Since we had already been to Rome before and seen all the sights, we spent most of the time just aimlessly wandering around the ancient streets of Rome and taking everything in. I saw the Pope 6 times that week. 4 of those times, I was within 1-3 meters of his Holiness. I could've high-fived him if I wanted to. UNIV also had a private audience with the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica, where the Pope specifically addressed us, Opus Dei. UNIV is comprised of university students from all over the world gathered in Rome for an annual Holy Week conference sponsored by Opus Dei.
here's what the Pope said to UNIV that morning:
http://www.opusdei.ie/art.php?p=26964
http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-22112
I'll start the story with my departure from Dubai. My flight was at 430am on Holy Wednesday morning. I was flying with EgyptAir from Dubai to Cairo, 4 hour layover in Cairo, then Cairo to Rome, arriving in Rome at 2pm local time. UNIV had a private audience with the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica at 10am so I was kind of bummed I would miss it, but I would see him plenty of times that week anyway. My travel book, LonelyPlanet's 'Middle East', had warned me of EgyptAir and advised its readers to avoid it at all costs, due to its poor safety record, unreliability, and bad service. Airlines tend to reflect the country they represent, and Egypt is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, so it's no surprise that it has a lackluster airline. But they had the cheapest flight from Dubai to Rome ($700) so I booked it anyway. My uncle dropped me off at the airport at 1am and we wished each other a Happy Easter. Even in the wee hours of the morning, Dubai's airport is bustling and crowded. The check-in desk didn't open until 2am. At 2am, an EgyptAir official arrived and told the crowd waiting to check-in that the flight was delayed...for 6 hours. It wasn't going to leave Dubai until 1030am. Great. I handled the grim news pretty well, even though it meant I had to sleep in the airport and would miss my connecting flight from Cairo to Rome so I would have to rebook to get onto the next available flight, whenever that was. The Arabs around me didn't take too kindly to the news, loudly ranting in rapid-fire Arabic and gesturing with their arms at the officials.
Dubai Airport at 4am
I found a nice spot on a nearby bench between an East African and an Iraqi (I saw their passports), and I tried to fall asleep. I've already met a few Iraqis in my time abroad here in the Middle East. When I ask them about their country, they all usually tend to do the same thing. They roll their eyes. Don't worry, I don't tell them I'm an American, I just say I'm Filipino. I tried to drift to sleep but because of the flourescent lights and me being a light sleeper, it didn't really work. Plus, I guess I was a bit agitated with the 6 hour delay and missing my flight from Cairo to Rome. Listening to travel books is usually a good idea. At around 3am, an EgyptAir official (I had told him earlier that because of the delay I would miss my Cairo to Rome flight) walked over and told me, in his broken English, to follow him up to his office. At first, I was thinking, 'Oh great, he's going to let me sleep on the couch in the office.' I sat on the couch and closed my eyes. A few minutes later he hands me a piece of paper. I looked at it and he says, in broken English, "Emirates Flight. Dubai to Rome. Leave 7am." I couldn't believe it. Like I said before, the quality of airlines tend to reflect the countries they represent. Egypt is poor so EgyptAir is crap. The United Arab Emirates is filthy rich so Emirates is arguably one of the best, if not the best, airline in the world. When I was buying my ticket to Rome, the Emirates flight was about $500 more expensive than EgyptAir's. And I had just got free upgrade to awesome Emirates from crap EgyptAir. Plus, the Emirates flight was direct to Rome, without a layover in Cairo, so I would get to Rome at around 10am local time, just in time for the Pope's address to UNIV. My luck that early morning did a complete 180, and I was so happy that I didn't bother trying to fall asleep again. The flight was absolutely amazing...the best flight I have ever been on in my life, and I had gotten nearly 50% of the ticket's price. The plane had live-feed cameras on the nose and belly, so at anytime you could watch the ground below from your personal TV. That was especially cool when we flew over the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Plus, free alcohol (and as much as you want), a huge library of movies and music albums that you can start and stop at any time, and delicious gourmet food. I was so excited that I didn't want to fall asleep on the flight, even though I had been up for over 24 hours and spent most of the day studying my brains off. I ended up watching 3:10 to Yuma and Rescue Dawn and having a Heineken and some wine.
planes for emirates airlines have nose cameras
and cameras under the fuselage...this is over the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq
Anyway, when I got to Europe and Italy the first thing I noticed was that everything was so green. I had become so used to living in a desert, where nothing grows and everything is brown, sandy, and dry. I exchanged my Emarati Dirhams for Euros and took a taxi to the place where the American UNIV group was staying, a residence run by nuns, and took another taxi to the Vatican to meet up with UNIV.
So green
View from the room
The room
It felt strange being in the West again, even though I had only been in the Middle East for less than two months. After living in Dubai, I noticed a few things about Rome that probably most visitors wouldn't pick up on:
Rome is filthy dirty. Trash and litter were everywhere in the streets. Ugh. Dubai is the cleanest city I have ever been to.
Couples would obnoxiously engage in PDA anywhere. On the bus, on the sidewalk, outside a church, in a restaurant, etc. You get arrested in Dubai for just holding hands.
And then there are all the immodestly dressed people, even in a country where 90% are Roman Catholics. Dubai is a virtuous, conservative Islamic society and holy purity starts with modesty. Catholicism has the same belief, but so few actually practice it.
Poor/homeless were in great number as well. You would see beggars and gypsies every few blocks on the sidewalk. There are no poor or homeless people in Dubai. If you beg for money, are unemployed, or are homeless you would get deported. Dubai is the richest place I have ever been to. Foreign workers in the UAE are there solely to work, as according to their contracts...if they quit/lose their job and aren't working then they have no purpose being in the country. As for the local Emaratis, they have one of the highest standards of living in the world...even higher than most upper-class Americans.
And alcohol is everywhere. Ads are prevalent on the streets and sidewalks, and street vendors would be selling bottles of Heineken and Beck's, which would be 100% legal to drink in public. In Dubai, alcohol ads are illegal, alcohol is only available in bars owned by non-Muslims, and drinking or intoxication in public is highly illegal. There's a zero tolerance with drunk driving and even having a BAC of 0.00001 (even small trace leftover from the night before) will land you in prison and possible deportation.
That afternoon we had another audience in the Vatican...this time with the Prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Javier Echevarria. Prelates are the leaders of Opus Dei and are appointed by the Pope. He was speakig in Italian the whole time, and my translator was broken. But I got the notes afterwards so it was okay. I went to bed that night after being awake for over 40 hours.
Prelate of Opus Dei addresses UNIV
UNIV, Opus Dei from all over the world
Neighborhood around our residence
Holy Thursday:
The next morning, I followed the University of Dallas group as we visited St. John's Lateran, one of the 7 Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the first Catholic cathedral in Rome,( ) and the Holy Steps. The Holy Steps are the stone steps that Jesus walked up when condemned to death by Pontius Pilate and the angry mob. They were preserved and imported to Rome in the 4th century. Chris Wester and I prayed the Rosary on the way up. The only way to climb the Holy Steps is on your knees, as an act of penance, which will gain you an plenary indulgence. By the end of it, my knees were bleeding through my khakis. Oohrah. Next we visited the second of Rome's Pilgrim churches, Santa Croce ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme ). I remembered this church from the first time in Rome because it houses:
-Three fragments from the True Cross
-One nail used in the Crucifixion.
-One third of the Title of the Cross ('INRI'), discovered in the church in 1492. The fragment shows the word "Nazarene" written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
-Two thorns from the Crown of Thorns. It is said that the plant from which these came is a species of thornbush that only grows in present day Israel.
-A large fragment of the Good Thief's cross;
-The bone of an index finger, said to be the finger of St. Thomas that he placed in the wounds of the Risen Christ
-A single reliquary containing small pieces of: the Scourging Pillar (to which Christ was tied as he was beaten); the Holy Sepulchre (Christ's tomb); and the crib of Jesus
St. John's Lateran
The oldest doors in Rome, they used to be the doors for the Senate...Julius Caesar walked through these before being assassinated
my knees started to bleed through my khakis
the Holy Stairs...the steps Jesus walked up when condemned by Pontius Pilate, imported to Rome in the 4th century
Santa Croce
relics from the Passion. True Cross, Crown of Thorns, one of the nails, part of the INRI sign, etc.
Julian and Eric Sales arrived later that afternoon and we just walked around Rome, with no particular destination in mind. We'd all been to Rome before so we weren't acting like tourists. In our aimless wandering around the Eternal City, we walked by the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, etc. Eric was in Rome doing a documentary on Opus Dei so we would just stop and interview random people on the streets about Opus Dei. We even ran into the Spanish UNIV group, who were a lot of fun. Later, we went to the Mass of the Last Supper that night at a Church whose name I can't remember.
Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
Pantheon, former temple for the Roman pagan gods. it's a church now.
Trevi Fountain
interviewing these random Spanish girls about Opus Dei
Spanish Steps
legit crazy man
more random interviews
these Spanish kids were so much fun
Mass of the Last Supper
Our Last Supper (before the Triduum that is)
Holy Friday:
We started off the Day with a visit to Villa Tevere, Opus Dei's international headquarters. In their oratory (chapel), lay the tomb holding the remains of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei and who was canonized in 2002, just 27 years after his death. We later had a private tour of the Vatican Museum. It was pretty sweet. The line stretched for blocks and took over an hour to get in. And here we were in our suits and ties, just bypassing the line and walking straight in. Definitely baller status.
Vatican Guard: UNIV?
Us: UNIV.
Vatican Guard: Oh okay, come right through please.
entrance to Opus Dei HQ
Opus Dei HQ surveillance
inside Villa Tevere...Opus Dei Headquarters..."inside the inner sanctum of the highly secretive international cult"
tomb of St. Josemaria Escriva in Opus Dei HQ
line for the Vatican Museum...haha, suckers.
we got to skip the line because we had baller status. UNIV power.
i would always wander away from our tour guide
Rome
Charlemagne pwning some noobs..in the name of the Lord.
We got these headsets which connected to a small radio that picked up the tour guide's insights. Most of the time, I just wandered around, still listening to the tour guide, but just doing my own thing. We even managed to take a few pictures of the Sistine Chapel, sneakily of course since it's prohibited. After the 3 hour tour, we had lunch then got in line in St. Peter's Square for the Holy Friday Vigil Mass that night at St. Peter's Basilica.
our illegal picture of the Sistine Chapel
Swiss Guard, woot.
The Obelisk was imported from Egypt.
ticket to the Good Friday Vigil Mass at the Vatican, with the Pope of course
interviewing Paul to pass the time
It was around 2pm but we were near the front of the line. The doors opened at 5 and the Mass was at 7. Around 650, the procession with the Pope started from the back and I got really close on the aisle. It was my first time seeing Pope Benedict XVI and I was within a few meters of him. Total adrenaline rush. The Mass lasted for about two hours and was entirely in Latin. The mood was somber and quiet, a contrast to the other times we saw the Pope that week, in which the crowd was ecstatic and cheering, "Viva il Papi!" Once again, I was within a few feet of the Pope as he left. After leaving Mass, it was raining again outside. The rain during my entire time in Rome that week was on again/off again but this time it wasn't letting up. Most guys (about 50 or so) in the group decided to just head back to the residence. A few (about 10), including me and Chris Wester, decided to man it out and go to the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, which was being led by the Pope. By this point it was pouring and quite a walk from St. Peter's. It started around 9pm and took about 3 hours, ending after midnight. We stood in the pouring rain the whole time. Jesus died on the cross that day. It was the least we could do. Hooah hooah.
St. Peter's Basilica
my first time seeing Pope Benedict XVI
high-five...!
Colosseum
Stations of the Cross with the Pope at the Colosseum
Victory Arch of Constantine
Holy Saturday:
After another morning of random wanderings around Rome in the rain, we got in line at 1pm for the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. We passed the time by interviewing more random people about Opus Dei. I ran into Helen Syski in St. Peter's Square and met Maria Fagan (both from Opus Dei's Oakcrest School in DC and Helen's a fellow sophomore at Notre Dame as well). I saw a street vendor in St. Peter's Square selling San Miguel Beer, the #1 Filipino beer. As if running into Helen Syski wasn't enough, imagine the second surprise of running into San Miguel in St. Peter's Square too, of all places. I bought one and enjoyed it in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Easter is the one time all year that the Pope will drink beer and what are the odds of finding San Miguel in St. Peter's Square of all places...so I just had to. We even ran into the Notre Dame group, the students studying abroad in Europe who came to Rome for Easter. Too bad they didn't have tickets to any of the Vatican Masses.
San Miguel Filipino Beer (in St. Peter's Square of all places)
Meeting up with the Notre Dame group
The other ND group, the ND UNIV group
another random interview
the American UNIV group at the front of the line obnoxiously singing the Star-Spangled Banner to the glaring Europeans
The American UNIV group, near the front of the line, passed more time by obnoxiously singing out loud, including performances of the Star-Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful, in front of all the glaring Europeans. When they started to sing Under My Umbrella by Rihanna, I and a few others asked for their man card, so they stopped. The doors opened at 7 and Mass started at 9. 7pm was pure chaos. People were jumping over barriers. The crowd was so thick and packed so close I didn't have to move at all, I couldn't move even if I wanted to...the crowd just surged forward as one. A Brazilian in the crowd had a great quote, in his Brazalian accent, "Stop touching me! Don't touch me!" It probably was pretty bad for the really short people, who couldn't see anything. Good thing I was taller than mostly everyone else. We found some really good seats close to the front and passed the time doing more interviews. We ran into an Opus Dei member from Austria. I had a conversation with an old German man next to me, who had a position in the German government. He called Opus Dei a bunch of fanatics and said Germans hated them. When my brother and the Austrian numerary said they were members and offered to talk to him about Opus Dei, he quickly shut up and refused to talk. It's funny how people can hold onto ignorant beliefs but when called to defend their opinion, will just refuse to talk about it at all. Or they know they're wrong but won't admit it.
Ticket to Easter Vigil Mass at the Vatican with the Pope. so ballin
interviewing Opus Dei member from Austria
Anyway, Mass took 3 hours and was entirely in Latin. Like all Easter Vigil Masses, the entire basilica was darkened as the Pope entered with a single white candle(again I got within a few meters of him). The basilica proceeded to be slowly lit by the shining flames of burning candles. It was probably the best 3 hours of my life. And definitely the best Easter Vigil Mass I've ever been to. It was amazing to think, that of all the Easter Vigil Masses going on around the world, including at Notre Dame, we were there at the most important one in the world...in the heart of the capital of Roman Catholicism with the Pope, the spiritual leader of 2 billion Roman Catholics everywhere. Sitting there in Mass with the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica, with its immaculate and celestial beauty at the heart of Roman Catholicism, it's not hard to feel an overwhelming sense of a pure connection with God. I can't explain it. I know that God's everywhere but it was unlike anything I've felt before. I could really feel the divine connection in that basilica. Like God was really physically present in a way a lot more than anywhere else or anytime before. After Mass ended at 1209am, the crowd was exuberent. People were smiling and cheering as the Pope proceeded out, blessing the crowd on his way. Once again, I was within high-five range of him. The mood, contrasting with the somberness the previous night, was so uplifting and exciting. Christ has risen! And here we were, at the Vatican for Easter. It was just so epic. It was unlike a sports team winning a championship. Except that this excitment was pure and divine, about as high as it could get. I felt like partying that night more than any other time in my life. Yeah, I could remember the last time I felt this genuinely happy, this much true joy, but that was a long time ago. It felt good to feel this happy again. We got back to the residence, had a few beers and some champagne, and went to bed at around 4am.
Easter Vigil Mass. 3 of the best hours of my life, and it was all in Latin
The Pope
Up close and personal with the Pope, holding a single white candle to light up the basilica
The program was all in Latin too
Pure epicness.
midnight. Christ is risen, party time...!
shyeah...!
jubilant bus ride back to the residence for party time
Easter Sunday:
Despite the continuing downpour of rain, we made our way to the Easter Morning Mass in St. Peter's Square. My suit and I were soaked to a level equivalent to me jumping into a pool with my suit on. It was pretty bad. But it was Easter so I didn't mind. The Pope issued his Urbi et Orbi ( . ) and retired to the Papal apartments, the last time I qouls see him that week.
Easter Morning Mass. downpour the whole time.
soaked
after Mass...
We walked around Rome for the last time and got lost in the process.
Castle
torrential downpour
Pantheon at night.
Castle and the Tiber River
bridge
We had Easter dinner that night and took a group shot of UNIV in St. Peter's Square, it was the last time we were all together. It was a great week. I had met members of Opus Dei from all over the US and the world. We all said our farewells (there are no goodbyes in Opus Dei, we all run into each other again sooner or later) and the next day we departed back to our universities and cities: Dubai, Notre Dame, Dallas, Houston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, etc. Too bad the rain didn't stop until I got to the airport Monday afternoon.
American UNIV Group 2008, minus some Dallas guys and the Houston group because we don't like Texas...just kidding, Houston flew to Istanbul that afternoon
Last meal in Italy, so the pizza and Italian beer were obligatory
Mediterranean Sea
Definitely the best Easter ever. I would follow up spending Easter in Rome with spending a week in Egypt.
