The Vatican
New saints, a new(ish) pope
and newly restored treasures beckon.
and newly restored treasures beckon.
Pope Francis, who has nearly 4.8 million followers on Twitter and routinely makes headlines for doing things like inviting atheists to join the cause for peace in his Christmas message, is widely viewed as reinvigorating the scandal-plagued, conservative-leaning Roman Catholic Church. (Just ask Time magazine, which last December named him the 2013 Person of the Year.) The first South American pope is so popular that the Vatican estimated that nearly a million visitors came in April for Holy Week and the canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II. Services commemorating the new saints will continue throughout the year. The faithful can also enjoy the fruits of restorations that have taken years, like that of Bernini’s colonnade in St. Peter’s Square and the reopening of the Via Triumphalis necropolis, a vast ancient Roman cemetery first uncovered in the 1950s. And pilgrims can stay up-to-date on news and events, including restorations and exhibitions, thanks to the Pope’s new mobile app.
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