Posted on 10/17/2014 1:11:56 PM PDT by NYer
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Pope Francis has for the first time allowed the Sistine Chapel to be rented out for a private corporate event, with the proceeds to go to charities working with the poor and homeless.
The concert, to be performed amid the splendour of Michelangelo’s frescoes on Saturday, will be attended by a select group of about 40 high-paying tourists who have signed up to an exclusive tour of Italy organised by Porsche.
But as the unprecedented deal was announced, the Vatican announced that it would limit the number of visitors allowed inside the chapel to the current total of six million, amid fears that the frescoes are being damaged by the breath and sweat of so many tourists.
The Vatican would not divulge how much it will earn from the event, but the five-day tour of Rome arranged by the Porsche Travel Club costs up to 5,000 euros per head, meaning an overall price of 200,000 euros.
Participants are promised “a magnificent concert in the Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo”.
The concert will be performed by a choir from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, which traces its origins back to the 16th century.
They will then sit down to a “gala dinner” in the midst of the Vatican Museums, “surrounded by masterpieces by world-famous artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael”.
“It’s a one-off event and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” a spokeswoman for the Porsche Travel Club told The Telegraph. “It will be the highlight of the trip.”
The Pope is keen to put the Vatican’s incomparable cultural heritage treasures to good use for the benefit of the needy.
Shortly after he was elected in March last year he called for a “poor Church for the poor”.
Monsignor Paolo Nicolini, the administrative director of the Vatican Museums, said firms like Porsche would be asked to make a donation for the use of the Sistine Chapel, with the money then passed onto Catholic charities of the Pope’s choice.
“It is an initiative which will support the Pope’s charity projects. It is aimed at big companies which, through the payment of a fee, can contribute to charity activities,” he said.
Renting out holy ground to make a fast buck?
"And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves."
FYI: Some papal Masses and all Papal elections are offered/held in the Sistine Chapel.
I believe so....
Well, either it’s a place that’s sacred, or it’s just another venue.
I assume, since it’s in the Vatican, that the Vatican has just made its attitude clear.
Pope St. Pius X offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Sistine Chapel.
So, you have no problem with tourists visiting the Sistine Chapel where profits are pocketed by tour operators.
Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's - $79.45
But a concert, performed by a choir from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, for a group of about 40 high-paying tourists with proceeds to go to charities working with the poor and homeless, is out of bounds?
Money-changers in the Temple. Then and now.
Capitalism in action, I love it.
Well, since now it’s just a table, I guess it’s okay. /s
There is a vast difference between pilgrims visiting the Sistine Chapel and the Holy Father renting out a consecrated space for profit. He is setting an unholy example by putting God’s House up for rent.
The city of Rome has an abundance of historic churches that are barely used and badly deteriorating. The Church doesn't have the money to maintain them. Neither does the city. It's a problem.
Churches, and not just the Catholics, are the custodians of a significant part of our artistic heritage. How to pay for it is a difficult question, but I would hate to see the legacy lost.
Catholics have been building and maintaining their own churches for 2000 years.
What's happened in the last 50 years can all be blamed on one event.
Pilgrims? Is that the new term for tourists?
Have you never been on a religious pilgrimage?
Thanks!
Hardly a new term. Catholics who go on pilgrimage to Rome are often referred to as "pilgrims". Apparently the Holy Father views them as an untapped funding source for his pet projects (projects btw to which the annual Peter's Pence collection is already dedicated). Monetizing one of the Catholic Church's sacred places by putting it up for rent is beyond crass.
Neither did the money-changers in the temple. Welcome to their club.
A few years ago I paid something like 15 euros to walk through the Vatican museum. The basilica was free.
The Sistine is hallowed ground and it’s being rented out. I don’t like it. OTOH, churches charge fees for the use of the church for weddings, funerals.
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