The Pope visits a museum
Translated from
the Italian service of
Right photo, ST. JOHN THE bAPTIST, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1513-1516, Louvre.
January 31 (RV) - This afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI made a private visit to the special exhibition on the art masterpieces that have expressed the influence of Christianity in the history of Europe, on the closing day of the show.
The exposition entitled “Il Potere e la Grazia. I Santi Patroni dell’Europa” (The power and the grace: The patron saints of Europe) ran from October 7 to January 31 at the national museum of art in Palazzo Venezia in central Rome. [Mussolini gave many important speeches from its balcony overlooking the Piazza Venezia.]
Presented by the Italian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with teh Pontifical Council for Culture, it brought together dozens of masterpieces from European museums by artists like Leonardo, Van Eyck, Memling, Mantegna, Caravaggio, Titian, El Greco, Van Dyck, Murillo, Tiepolo.
The objective was to show the emblematic relationship between transcendence, as testified to by the lives of Europe's great saints, and civilian society and political power in their respective times, upon which they left their mark of charity and wisdom.
adds the following details:
The Pope arrived at Palazzo Venezia around 6 p.m. and stayed for about 40 minutes. Welcoming him wre Gianni Letta, undersecretary to the Italian Prime Minister's cabinet; Antonio Zanardo Landi, Italiy's ambassador to the Holy See; and Fr. Alessio Geretti, exhibit curator.
Sandro Magister had an article on the exhibit last October, posted in the CHURCH&VATICAN thread:
benedettoxviforum.freeforumzone.leonardo.it/discussione.aspx?idd=859...
NB: It's probably the first time a Pope ever made a private visit to a museum!...
P.S. Belated reports in other Italian newspapers now say that among those who came with the Holy Father from the Vatican were his four Memores Domini housekeppers. It says a lot of B16 as the thoughtful 'pater familias' that he always makes it a point to have the Memores present at all the concerts he attends, and now, at the museum visit as well.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 02/02/2010 03:57]