Petrus Romanus is returning! It can not be long before we see the fulfilment of the prophecies of Fatima. Our beloved first martyred Pope, Peter, is coming back!
“To mark the end of the Year of Faith, the bones found by Professor Guarducci during excavation work under the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica are to be exhibited for the first time on 24 November”
Link: ANDREA TORNIELLI vatican city
On 24 November, the Year of Faith will culminate with “the exposition for the first time of the relics traditionally recognized as those of the apostle who gave his life for the Lord here,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation. The event is a first and recognises these relics as those of the Apostle Peter, the fisherman from Capernaum who according to tradition was martyred in Rome in the year 67.
It was Pope Paul VI who announced that the bones of St. Peter had been found. The announcement was made during a General Audience on 26 June 1968: “New investigations, most patient and accurate, were subsequently carried out with the results that we, comforted by the judgment of qualified, prudent and competent people, believe are positive. The relics of Saint Peter have been identified in a way we believe convincing.” Excavation work under St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1939 and was personally funded by Pius XII. No one had dared descend beneath the basilica to see what was there. St. Peter’s was built above Constantine’s basilica.
During the Holy Year proclaimed in 1950, Pope Pius XII announced that the Apostle’s tomb had been found. It seemed to prove what Gaius, a Roman priest had said during Pope Zephirinus’ pontificate (199-217). In a letter to Montanist Proclus, he wrote: If you want to set out for the Vatican or along the Ostian Way you will find the trophies [meaning the tombs Ed.] of the hose [sic] who founded this Church.” The Church of Saints Peter and Paul that is.
The research carried out by Archaeologist Margherita Guarducci led to the discovery of a chapel supported by a wall – covered in precious graffiti which Guarducci managed to decode – that dates back to the year 150. The writing contained invocations to Peter and references to Christ and Mary. One of the messages which dates back to 160, is written in Greek and reads: “Petros eni”, “Peter is within”.
Professor Guarducci found the bones – which had been collected from a burial recess near where the graffiti was discovered – inside a box inside the Vatican Grottoes. The bones were analysed and it turned out they all came from one man with a robust build, who died at an advanced age. They were encrusted with earth and wrapped inside a piece of purple woollen cloth with golden thread – a particularly opulent burial. Fragments of all bones were found except those of the feet.
St. Peter’s tomb was initially very simple. He was crucified for being ungodly and his burial was presumably anonymous. He is buried inside a Roman necropolis which Constantine had interred. It was dug up 16 centuries later, when Pius XII ordered excavation work to begin. It is possible to visit of the necropolis as part of a fascinating tour that culminates in the very spot where Peter’s bones are kept today in plexiglass boxes. Visitors should book well in advance, by sending an email to scavi@fsp.va, by sending a fax to +39 06 69873017. Alternatively you can book directly by visiting the Vatican Excavations office to the left of Bernini’s colonnade.
