Okay folks. I know you well enough. Let’s just be honest. You don’t want to hear about great food or what a great time I had with my wife. You want relics, churches, POD sightings, cassocks, shrines, Roman intrigue, fiddlebacks, Latin Masses, and other provocative subjects.

Very well. I’m going to start hitting you with some POD stuff. That’s me above in my cassock in St Peter’s Square.

The obelisk is located by St John Latern. It looks basic, but the inscription is interesting. It reads, “Constantine, the Victor through the Cross having been baptized here by Sylvester proclaimed the glory of the Cross.” My Latin obviously isn’t perfect but this seems like a stretch since I don’t believe Constantine was baptized in Rome. Anybody got some info on this?

This is the shrine above the papal altar at St John Lateran that encloses the skulls of St Peter and St Paul. Apparently only the Pope may celebrate Mass on this altar.

This is the Santa Santorum or the Holy of Holies by St John Lateran. After you ascend the 28 wood covered steps of Pilate’s sacred praetorian staircase (which Our Lord ascended), you see this small chapel. The inscription reads in Latin, “No place on earth is more holy than this place.” That’s a pretty bold claim, especially since most of its prize relics have been removed since that inscription was engraved.

This is me standing by the tomb of Leo XIII. He was the Pontif tha declared Anglican Orders “utterly null and void.”

The Holy Father saluting us and hundreds of others at the papal audience.

Pretty sweet statue of Pope Pius IX adoring Christ from the confessio in St Mary Major.

This is the relic of Christ’ Creche. If you look close you can actually see the wood of the creche. Pretty amazing if true. It resides under the altar at St Mary Major and can be accessed by the Confessio. The statue of Pope Pius IX (above) stands before it.

And last for this segment, the full relics of St Pius V – the Pontif who excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England. An amazing relic. Yeah, I osculated him. Can you blame me?

Stay tuned. Next up is POD vestments and liturgical wares from Rome.