After being viewed by hundreds of thousands of the faithful after the Mass of Beatification on Sunday, the casket containing the remains of the beloved pontiff Blessed John Paul II was transferred to a new crypt under the Altar of St. Sebastian on the main floor of St. Peter’s Basilica. The transfer was a private ceremony witnessed by cardinals and bishops, priests and close lay friends of the late pope. The first Mass offered on the altar was celebrated by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland, who was John Paul’s personal secretary and closest friend and confidant for more than four decades — a very fitting person to be the first celebrant. The new tomb, in white marble, simply says “Beatus Joannes Paulus, PP, II,” Latin for Blessed John Paul II. The location is extremely accessible, right next to the Michelangelo’s “Pieta” on the main floor. The Pieta is one of the most visited spots in the Vatican Basilica, and now Blessed John Paul II’s Altar and Tomb will surely be a “must see” for visitors to the basilica. I think it was a mark of genius on the part of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and his advisors, that the newly beatified pope, was given this place of honor. It will certainly make it easier for the people to come and pray. His former tomb, a simple one underneath St. Peter’s in the Crypts of the Popes, was not as accessible as the new location. Still, many people climbed down the narrow steps over the past six years to visit John Paul II’s first tomb. I can only imagine that the new tomb upstairs on the main floor will attract many more visitors. The Vatican reports that already thousands of people are coming to the tomb each day. Bishops and priests coming to the basilica normally reserve altars around the basilica and crypts to celebrate Mass during their Roman visit. Undoubtedly the new Altar and Tomb of Blessed John Paul II will be the most requested altar for a long time to come! Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!
(Just in case you need directions: When you enter St. Peter’s walk to the right. The Pieta will be right in front of you. Once you have visited there, simply walk to your left. Blessed John Paul’s tomb will be the next altar on the right!)
The Concho Padre
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 