ROME DAY 18: Gardens, Trees, No Roundup

The rose at 7:26 in Rome today and it will set at 18:24.  The Ave Maria bell will be neglected, as usual, at 18:45.

Yesterday, I trotted over to the Porta Sant’Anna and met a couple friends for a walk in Vatican Gardens.   First, we went up to the roof of the Basilica, where there is a rather good bar for a coffee and roll.

As you can imagine, the view from the roof is great.  Not as high as from the cupola, but not bad.

A view not many see.  The backs of the heroic statues on the facade.

I always want you to have a chance to read some Latin.

Down on the ground, we went past the Casa Santa Marta, quickly, and to an errand or two in office of the Fabbrica and Gendarmeria.  Meanwhile, how cool is it to have an inscription to commemorate Palestrina?

On Saturday the immense train door was open.  There are trains that run to Castel Gandolfo.   Looking out into Italy.  You don’t see this every day.

Along the way.

The residence of Benedict XVI.  We stopped and pray for him, Aves in German.

The Lourdes grotto.

Its altar.  It may be possible to celebrate Mass there.   Must learn more.

Nearby, the place where the horrid pagan ceremony took place and a tree was planted.  Here it is.  We have no round up, or the story might have been different.

It is known, however, that a priest did come to this spot and read the long St. Michael Prayer.

Another infamous tree.  This is on the other side of the Basilica, where the Museums are.  This is the Tree of Islamic Infamy, where the Iman read the sutra to claim the Vatican for Islam.

No plaque here.  Curious.  All the other trees have plaques.

It’s as if these spots surround San Pietro… Traspontina, Sant’Uffizio, Santa Marta, pagan tree, Imam tree.

Looking out of Vatican City into Rome.

And, on the way home from Mass in the evening, a shot of where I buy my coppiette.  Alas, no longer horse.

A glance in the doorway.

Bona dies, indeed!

COLD REPORT: Nothing to report today.  Some cough in the morning, gone in the afternoon.

Sunday I was asked to celebrate the main, Solemn Mass at Ss Trinità.  Among the announcements the pastor made, he thanks you and me.  They hit the target for the baptismal font. After Mass, at a little reception, they gave me a chasuble, which was very kind of them.

More on that later.

Meanwhile, I was up late-ish, watching the blog transition.  So far so good.

If only I could have provided a little round up!

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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10 Comments

  1. jameeka says:

    “If only I could have provided a little round up!”

    Reminds me of Mark 11 and the withered fig tree.

    Have Faith in God.

  2. brasscow says:

    I was supposed to renew my passport a couple months ago but my kids kept getting sick. If I had a valid passport the tree and idols would have burned day 2 of the synod and no pagan in the way would have been spared injury. God must have different plans for me.

  3. Gab says:

    Great round-up of the day, Fr Z :)

    Do Maledictory Psalms work against trees?

    [Good question! I think they should be tried.]

  4. Sid Cundiff in NC says:

    Have you tried the horse meat in Verona?

  5. Kathleen10 says:

    What amazing photos, you are quite the photog now. The backs of the statues are pretty wild to see.
    I’ve never wished for trees to die, but may God wither those two.

  6. Gregg the Obscure says:

    watering the tree with holy water should help. of course if the water were excessively saline it might work in a slightly different way.

  7. SKAY says:

    Blessed salt sprinkled around the base of the tree?

  8. MitisVis says:

    As a whimsical thought, how about we go beyond organic and natural to the supernatural.
    Brazilian tree beetles when finished pursue wooden pagan idols. Which begs, what happened to the indefensible male figure in that ceremony (and controversy)?
    Sand worms, perhaps of the “Dune” variety. Swallowing whole trees as well as any hapless under catechized souls prostrate before them.
    A first warning plague so to speak. With a New Adam, New Eve, New Jerusalem there could be the trials the church must face and a New Passover.

    I’m enjoying your tour of Rome no end and appreciate your photos and commentary. And our prayers for Benedict join yours. That train door is a marvel in itself. And that Mass…
    Thank you Father

  9. kalless says:

    The “Dune” variety worm is probably the best option for that particular tree. But I can tell you if I had a similar-sized problem tree in my yard…

    The trouble with Roundup is that it must come into contact with at least 75% of the leaf area of the plant in order to be effective. I would suggest Pathfinder II, as that is designed to be applied directly onto the bark of the tree, not the leaves. Covering a 12″ wide band of the bark completely around the tree would do the trick. If one were applying it onto a tree in their own yard, they would be wise not to let the product come into contact with their skin since it is engineered to pass through cellular membranes…

    Thank you for sharing your trip, Father. I am currently saving up in order to take the family back to Rome on vacation. It has been about 5 years.

  10. KateD says:

    They say cooper nails don’t work….

    One may salt the earth as the Romans did when they encountered the place where idols were worshiped and children sacrificed…

    Remove a contiguous ring of bark deep enough to cut the phloem…. No ? therefore the plant dies :)

    Or just chop the thing down…It’s weak and small. Uproot it, use it for kindling.

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