Entitled as ‘Lectio Petri’, the event will take place from October to March with the aim of knowing or rediscovering the figure of the Apostle Peter through history, arts and culture.
Vatican City (31/10/2022 7:30 PM, Gaudium Press) Next Tuesday, October 25, a cycle of meetings entitled ‘Lectio Petri’ will begin in the Vatican Basilica. Promoted by St. Peter’s Basilica, the Fratelli Tutti Foundation and the Courtyard of the Gentiles, the event will take place from October to March, with the aim of knowing or rediscovering the figure of the Apostle Peter through history, arts and culture.
A character that deserves to be explored in depth
The first meeting, entitled “The Life of St. Peter. The sequels, the tears and the martyrdom,” will be guided by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council of Culture and founder of the “Cortile dei gentili” (Courtyard of the Gentiles), who will comment on important passages of the Gospel in which the Apostle and his vocation are described.
“Peter is a fascinating and complex figure, narrated in this way in the Gospels, with his weaknesses and frailties. His story is full of different moments, we could almost define them as ‘phases,’ the same ones that a believer can go through today: the vocation, the crisis that led to the betrayal, and then the conversion and the final rehabilitation. He is a somewhat modern character who deserves to be explored in depth. His figure is not only the story of one who is canonized, but of a person who carries with him his own weakness,” stressed the Cardinal.
The figure of St. Peter in history and culture
The second meeting, which is scheduled to take place on January 17, will focus on the figure of St. Peter in history and culture. The ‘Lectio Petri’ on this date will also be attended by Cardinal Ravasi, who will comment on the two Letters of St. Peter and some passages from the Letter of Pliny, one of the oldest sources describing the life of the first Christians.
The conclusions of this day’s meeting, which will have as its theme “Giving reasons to the hope that is in us,” will be entrusted to Professor Giuliano Amato, president emeritus of the Italian Constitutional Court and president of the Patio dei genti Foundation, who will make a reflection on the relationship between faith and society.
St. Peter: a missionary who should be better known
The cycle of meetings will conclude on March 7, with a ‘Lectio Petri’ ‘Quo vadis’ that will feature contributions from personalities from the world of culture to tell how the figure of Peter has crossed the centuries in the arts, literature and music.
“We will begin with four engagements, but, we would like to cyclically re-present these Itineraries of Art and Faith. Peter is a missionary who should be increasingly known: in fact, his figure tells us that the divine can also manifest itself to the world through our poor witness,” said Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and Vicar General of the Pope for Vatican City. (EPC)
Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato
