Highlights from the cultural world of Rome
From Christian Hecht
Until 8 June only, Palazzo Caffarelli, now part of the Capitoline Museums and formerly the German Embassy, is hosting an extraordinary exhibition: ‘I Farnese nella Roma del Cinquecento. Origini e fortuna di una collezione’ - ’The Farnese in 16th century Rome. The origins and fate of an art collection’.
On 28 May, a study day will be held at the Lateran University to mark the 300th anniversary of the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XIII Orsini (1724-1730). Speakers include Villiam Stefan Dóci OP, Filippo Lovison, Francesca Paola Massara and Jörg Bölling. Topics include the liturgy, pastoral care, politics, the Dominican Order and the Holy Year.
Perhaps it has always been like this, but now, at the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, I was surprised to hear the three cries of ‘Feliciter! Feliciter! Feliciter!’, combined with the words “Tempora bona habeant”.
The Pontifical Institute for Christian Archaeology, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has a new website. This was necessary for technical and functional reasons.
Robert Francis Prevost stepped onto the loggia of St. Peter's as Pope Leo XIV. Beforehand, the bells of St. Peter's announced his election.
The death knell of St Peter's rang at 12 noon on Easter Monday, 21 April. Another chapter was thus added to papal history. The Roman Institute of the Görres Society, which was founded in 1888 and specialises in papal history, has seen 11 popes since Leo XIII.
Curia Bishop Cesare Pagazzi from Crema in northern Italy had been Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education under Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonca for two years. He has now been appointed in place of Mons. Zani, who also came from the Congregation for Education, as archivist and librarian of the ‘Santa Romana Chiesa’. As such, he had to fulfil a variety of representative and diplomatic missions.
The Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani was founded on 21 March 1925 and later moved into the former Somasken monastery on the Aventine. To mark the centenary, a ceremony was held on 21 March at which a special stamp was presented by President Gaetano Platania and a large Latin inscription was unveiled. Massimiliano Ghilardi presented an extremely interesting exhibition on the history of the institute.
For the Holy Year 2025, the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park has published a booklet entitled ‘Itinerari cristiani alla foce del Tevere’, in which four ‘routes’ to the sites of early Christian Ostia and Porto are described on the basis of current archaeological research:
The internet portal kath.ch commemorates the Cardinal's 75th birthday on 15 March and the commemorative gift ‘Unity and Singleness’, which will be presented to him a week later at Campo Santo Teutonico.
Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
