At
Cincinnati's Museum Center on December, two workers open the first
of the Vatican exhibit crates while Msgr. Robert Zagnoli, Curator
of the Vatican Museums, looks on.
'St. Peter and the Vatican' Comes to Cincinnati
The historic show
had been in Houston and Miami. It will be in Cincinnati until
April 18, then off to its final stop of the 18-month tour in San
Diego. Eighty percent of the artifacts have never been on public
display.
Cincinnati is one
of four stops in the United States for an historic display
of Vatican artifacts. Between now and April 18 the 15,000-square-
foot exhibit will present more than 350 objects in contextual
settings spanning 2,000 years of papal history.
Photos to right:
In the crate photographed above were two representative artifacts,
shown (top) by Msgr. Zagnoli (r) and Carlo Pellegrini, a "Guard"
of the papal sacristy who helps maintain the precious objects
at the Vatican.
The chalice to
the right was a gift from Spain to Pope Pius IX, who was instrumental
in establishing the Vatican museums. Below that is a Missal
stand made of a tortoise shell in the New World by Christopher
Columbus's crew on his third voyage. There was a religious
dimension to his voyages. Pope John Paul II wants the New
Evangelization, which we all are part of, to be a key theme
of this exhibit.
Finally, there
is a sculpture cast with the hand of Pope John Paul II. Visitors
are encouraged to touch the sculpture if they wish. The Holy
Father wrote a special message of welcome for visitors to
this exhibit, which is on display near the entrance to the
exhibit.
