Pope Francis returns to the Sistine Chapel for The Baptism of Our Lord
Another first for Pope Francis last Sunday. On the Baptism of the Lord, a versus populum altar was wheeled out for the Pope's Mass in the Sistine Chapel. Apart from its use at the end of conclaves, Holy Mass has always been celebrated at the main altar of the Sistine. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the new papal MC has a doctorate in liturgical studies from Sant'Anselmo? The change in orientation necessitated covering over a good chunk of the beautiful mosaic floor in a bland concrete grey coloured frame and, as Messa in Latino remarked, not even a crucifix on the altar. I can't help but find some poignant symbolism in what appears to be a forced modernism in one of the best known chapels in the world. A turning away from what is there and a covering of it, to what end? What do we gain? Pope Francis baptised a 16 babies, the first time he has done so since the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In a brief, off-the-cuff homily beneath Michelangelo’...