The Jubilee in Rome

As the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has set an ambitious goal of evangelization and preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000 for the whole Church. As bishop of Rome, Reuters reported Dec. 31, he has a more practical problem: the number of churches available to accommodate pilgrims.

The event “is expected to attract perhaps history's biggest pilgrimage to Rome, and the Pope has in the past urged [Catholics] to give money to help build more churches for the event.

“The Italian capital has nearly 1,000 Roman Catholic churches but most of them are near the center of the city. The new churches the Pope wants built would be in the outskirts.”

His message to his local Church, which he gives each year at the Te Deum vespers in the Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, did not confine itself to the physical churches, however.

“We are invited to look to the future, to prepare the ground for this city's evangelization in view of the third millennium,” he is quoted saying.

Rome's Disneyland?

Plans are under way to build a theme park in Rome in time for the jubilee celebrations, according to The Washington Post.

Jan. 2, the paper reported that “a grandiose project to reconstruct the Eternal City by meticulously copying its ancient forums, palaces, and arenas is taking shape in Italy's Umbria region.…

“The $250 million project is slated to include a historical theme park, where visitors can don togas, listen to orations, and watch chariot races at the Circus Maximus or gladiator contests at the Coliseum. Planners say the park, about 45 miles north of the modern-day city, also would serve as a set for movie and television productions set in ancient Rome in which toga-clad tourists would double as extras.

“Rome architect Luigi Pellegrin, who is designing the site, said he believes tourists would benefit from visiting a re-creation of ancient Rome, especially when coupled with a tour of the actual ruins. ‘What you get from an experience in the Forum is wonderful,’ he said.”

The theme park would likely be named “Roma Vetus, Latin for “ancient Rome.” It would include temples, basilicas, squares, and palaces, all at three-quarter scale. Italian media have scoffed at the plans, already well underway, calling it “our Disneyland,” according to the article.