Issue #0

The Vatican

Plot

Written by a Vatican insider and accomplished church historian, this book is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's smallest nation and the spiritual center of the Catholic Church. Produced with the full cooperation of the Vatican, this is a beautifully illustrated insiders guide into the 2,000 year long history of the Vatican and papal influence, daily life and governance of the world's largest religious body, and the art collections and other priceless treasures rarely seen by the public. In addition to a unique photographic tour, the book includes personal interviews with various Vatican employees and insiders who make their home there, from a Swiss Guard to a singer in the Sistine Chapel choir. This book is an unparalleled look into life inside the Holy City.A Conversation with Father Michael Collins, Author of The VaticanYou are a former Vatican guide. How did you first become directly involved in the Eternal City?When I was 18, I began to spend my summers as a guide in St. Peter’s Basilica. For the next six years I spent three months each summer accompanying tourists and pilgrims from all over the world around the Basilica. It was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed meeting people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds.Can you briefly speak to what daily life is like in the Vatican? How many people permanently reside there; is there a constant parade of pageantry; etc.?There is an anecdote about Pope John XXIII. On one occasion an ambassador asked him how many people worked at the Vatican. He paused and thought for a few moments before answering “I think about half of them!”The number of people residing at any one time in the Vatican fluctuates. There are roughly 400 people. These of course include the Pope but also Swiss Guards, security personnel, medical staff, clergy and religious brothers and sisters. Although many people are fascinated by the pageantry when there is a big religious ceremony, behind-the-scenes life is quite ordinary. I tried in this book to give a balance between the formally glitzy side and the ordinary day-to-day life of the citizens.You spent six summers as a guide in St. Peter’s Basilica. What do you find most interesting about being a church historian?I love the stories that are more amazing than fiction. The popes have had an extraordinary effect on history. They launched the Crusades, the Inquisition and in a certain sense the Reformation. At least one pope was mad and had the body of his predecessor disinterred and thrown in the River Tiber. Pope Alexander divided the New World between the Spanish and the Portuguese in the early 16th century. That is why Brazilians speak Portuguese and the rest of Latin Americans speak Spanish. Another Pope tried to stop Galileo’s amazing discovery of the earth revolving around the sun. Throughout The Vatican, I have shaped a brief bird’s eye view of the popes and their influences on history.The Vatican Museums house one of the greatest art collections in the world. Why is it important for the city to hold onto these pieces, instead of say, to sell the works and give the profits to those in need?Many people say that the Vatican should sell off the treasures. There is a lot to be said for that idea. The problem is why disperse the unique collection which is available to people who come to Rome? The collection, which is several hundreds of years old, would be bought by private individuals and other museums. It would not be so easily available to the thousands which can visit the museums each day. Also, most of the artifacts are buildings and architectural sites which cannot be sold for practical reasons.The Church is a spiritual family and proudly safeguards its family heirlooms like any family treasures items passed down lovingly from one generation to the next. The artists believed in the spirituality which inspired their works so that is why we revere and care for them. They don’t go up for auction as soon as the artist di