Remains of St. Paul may have been found

ROME — Vatican archaeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul that had been buried beneath Rome’s second largest basilica.

The sarcophagus, which dates back to at least A.D. 390, has been the subject of an extended excavation that began in 2002 and was completed last month, the project’s head said this week.

“Our objective was to bring the remains of the tomb back to light for devotional reasons, so that it could be venerated and be visible,” said Giorgio Filippi, the Vatican archaeologist who headed the project at St. Paul Outside the Walls basilica.

The interior of the sarcophagus has not yet been explored, but Filippi didn’t rule out the possibility of doing so in the future.

Two ancient churches that once stood at the site of the current basilica were successively built over the spot where tradition said the saint had been buried. The second church, built by the Roman emperor Theodosius in the fourth century, left the tomb visible, first above ground and later in a crypt.

When a fire destroyed the church in 1823, the current basilica was built and the ancient crypt was filled with earth and covered by a new altar.

“We were always certain that the tomb had to be there beneath the papal altar,” Filippi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Filippi said that the decision to make the sarcophagus visible again was made after many pilgrims who came to Rome during the Catholic Church’s 2000 Jubilee year expressed disappointment at finding that the saint’s tomb could not be visited or touched.

The findings of the project will be officially presented during a news conference at the Vatican on Monday.

Please, oh please, oh please. Can you guys just take the trouble to understand what Catholics believe and do BEFORE you criticize it? Is that too much to ask? I grew up in New York City a few blocks from a famous monument called "Grant's Tomb". It is a building that houses the tomb of Gen. Grant. It was built as a monument in his honor and also as a place where people could visit to honor his memory. In Washington we have the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and many other places where we HONOR the great figures of our history. Do Americans "worship" Grant at Grant's tomb. Do we "worship" the unknown soldier at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Obviously not. We honor our dead. Read the Gettysburg Address where Lincoln is speaking at the final resting place of those who fell at the Battle of Gettysburg, and speaks of the ground where their dead bodies lay as "hallowed ground" (i.e. holy ground) and speaks about how those present at that hallowed ground were coming there to "take increased devotion" to the cause for which they had died. Do Protestants talk about how idolatrous it is to visit the cemeteries of war dead to honor their memory and to stir up devotion to our country? Do they say that the Lincoln Memorial is idolatrous worship of Lincoln? No, because they know that that would be stupid and they would be laughed at by all sensible people. So why, if it is OK to HONOR (not worship) secular figures and and take increased devotion to secular causes from honoring the sacrifices of those who died for them (or at least labored mightily for them), WHY should it be wrong to HONOR great Christian figures who died died for (or labored mightily for) the gospel?

I know; you were raised from your mother's knee to believe that we Catholics are idolators --- and what your mammy told you must be right, because she was infallible and knew so much about the Catholic faith and Catholic practices. But the fact is that we Catholics do NOT think St. Paul or any saint was God, and we do not worship them as God, any more than you worship George Washington.

If someone does not know the difference between honoring someone and worshipping him, then maybe he doesn't know what worship really is. Only someone who does not know what worship is could confuse it with mere honoring.

If you must hate Catholicism, at least let it be for what we REALLY believe and not some feverish nightmare fantasy in your own imagination. That is only fair, don't you think?

First off, this story was posted to FR in the News/Activism Forum several days ago and is still enjoying a long ride :-). For you who missed it - Thank You, Tara P, for reposting it to the Religion Forum.

It bothers me greatly that one would verate the skeletal remains of a human. One should only venerate the one who rose from the dead, Christ.

AP - Wed Nov 29, 5:02 PM ET In this picture provided by the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate, Pope Benedict XVI, accompanied by Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, second left, kisses an icon, next to two white boxes containing relics of saints, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006. The relics of two ancient saints were returned in 2004 to the Orthodox Patriarchate by late Pope John Paul II in a gesture of friendship. (AP Photo/Nikos Manginas)

The use of relics has some, although limited, basis in Sacred Scripture. In II Kings 2:9-14, the Prophet Elisha picked-up the mantle of Elijah, after he had been taken up to heaven in a whirlwind; with it, Elisha struck the water of the Jordan, which then parted so that he could cross.

In another passage (II Kings 13:20-21), some people hurriedly bury a dead man in the grave of Elisha, "but when the man came into contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and rose to his feet." In Acts of the Apostles we read, "Meanwhile, God worked extraordinary miracles at the hands of Paul. When handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them" (Acts 19:11-12). In these three passages, a reverence was given to the actual body or clothing of these very holy people who were indeed God's chosen instruments — Elijah, Elisha, and St. Paul. Indeed, miracles were connected with these "relics" — not that some magical power existed in them, but just as God's work was done through the lives of these holy men, so did His work continue after their deaths. Likewise, just as people were drawn closer to God through the lives of these holy men, so did they (even if through their remains) inspire others to draw closer even after their deaths. This perspective provides the Church's understanding of relics.

The veneration of relics of the saints is found in the early history of the Church. A letter written by the faithful of the Church in Smyrna in the year 156 provides an account of the death of St. Polycarp, their bishop, who was burned at the stake. The letter reads, "We took up the bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy, and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom." Essentially, the relics — the bones and other remains of St. Polycarp — were buried, and the tomb itself was the "reliquary." Other accounts attest that the faithful visited the burial places of the saints and miracles occurred. Moreover, at this time, we see the development of "feast days" marking the death of the saint, the celebration of Mass at the burial place and a veneration of the remains.

After the legalization of the Church in 313, the tombs of saints were opened and the actual relics were venerated by the faithful. A bone or other bodily part was placed in a reliquary — a box, locket and later a glass case — for veneration. This practice especially grew in the Eastern Church, while the practice of touching cloth to the remains of the saint was more common in the West. By the time of the Merovingian and Carolingian periods of the Middle Ages, the use of reliquaries was common throughout the whole Church.

The Church strived to keep the use of relics in perspective. In his Letter to Riparius, St. Jerome (d. 420) wrote in defense of relics: "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are."

Here we need to pause for a moment. Perhaps in our technological age, the whole idea of relics may seem "strange." Remember, all of us treasure things that have belonged to someone we love — a piece of clothing, another personal item, a lock of hair. Those "relics" remind us of the love we share with that person while he was still living and even after death. Our hearts are torn when we think about disposing of the very personal things of a deceased loved one. Even from an historical sense, at Ford's Theater Museum for instance, we can see things that belonged to President Lincoln, including the blood stained pillow on which he died. More importantly, we treasure the relics of saints, the holy instruments of God.

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. Pope Benedict said to plan examination of St. Paul St Paul's tomb 'may be opened' Pope: Scientific analysis done on St. Paul's bones Pope: St. Paul's Remains Found in Basilica Have we found the body of St Paul? related: Oldest Icon of St. Paul Discovered Rome Catacomb Reveals "Oldest" Image Of St Paul Rome Catacomb Reveals "Oldest" Image of St Paul New Discoveries. Why St. Paul Was Given a Philosopher's Face? To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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