Postcard from Rome – The Eternal City
Location: Rome, Italy
After two weeks tracing the footsteps of Saint Paul across the ancient landscapes of Turkey, followed by a week immersed in the sacred memory of Greece, we have finally arrived in Rome—the Eternal City, the heart of our faith, and the center of our pilgrimage. Stepping into Rome felt like stepping into the embrace of a long-awaited home. Today, on our very first day in Italy, we found ourselves standing before the Mother of all Churches: the Arch-basilica of Saint John Lateran. Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput—the mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world. No words could have been more fitting. After so many miles and so many sacred encounters, arriving at the Mother Church truly felt like returning to the heart of our spiritual family.
We stood there overwhelmed, humbled, grateful—feelings that every pilgrim knows well. Inside this venerable basilica, where countless generations have prayed, discerned, struggled, and hoped, we were reminded once again of the universality of the Church and of the communion that binds us across continents and centuries.
From the Lateran, our pilgrimage led us to the Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs. Ascending them on our knees was far more than a physical act; it was a living meditation on the Christian journey of faith. Step by step—slow, patient, persevering—we moved upward, our eyes fixed on the crucifix above, a reminder of Calvary where Mary and Saint John themselves looked upon the crucified Lord. And above them, the gaze of the Father rested on the Beloved Son who fulfilled His mission in perfect obedience: “obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”
Along those steps, we saw pilgrims trembling with pain, others pausing in exhaustion, some even collapsing for a moment before continuing. Yet no one turned back. This silent procession became, for me, a living icon of the life of faith: fragile yet determined, wounded yet hopeful. My own hope is anchored in the Cross of Jesus Christ. And just as the Passion leads to the empty tomb, so every faithful ascent ends in the radiant light of the Risen Lord.
In the afternoon, we walked through the Colosseum and the Roman Forum—silent witnesses to history, suffering, empire, and martyrdom. These stones, worn by centuries, seemed to whisper the stories of those who came before us, reminding us that faith has always flourished in the shadow of the Cross.
We concluded our day of pilgrimage with Evening Prayer, followed by the solemn celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception at the church of Santa Maria delle Consolazione. In his homily, the celebrant reminded us that just as God chose and prepared Mary for her unique vocation, so too He chooses and prepares each of us for our own journey of discipleship and priestly formation.
From the heart of Rome, please be assured of our prayers.
-Tien Dang, Diocese of Phan Thiet, Vietnam
