The Secretary General’s address in Chicago, at the 10th anniversary of “Integrating Art & Faith”, an initiative of the Illinois Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums

The Pope’s Museum: a treasure of art and faith

The bond between art and faith, between evangelization and creative expression and the role of the Vatican Museums within this context were some of the topics discussed at a round table discussion between Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, and Sr. Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, held on Saturday afternoon, 2 November at the University Club of Chicago. Moderated by Rev. Louis J. Cameli, Delegate of formation and mission of the Archdiocese.

the event to mark the 10th anniversary of the initiative, “Integrating Art & Faith”, brought together members of the Illinois Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. Present among others were Msgr. Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, Rev. Gerald Gunderson, Anna Shea, President of the Chapter, Donna Nelson-Stride, Vice President, and Susan J. Miller Overby, Treasurer. Cardinal Cupich, who has always supported the local Chapters of the Patrons, illustrated the reasons that spurred the Pontiffs to collect masterpieces in this beautiful structure.

The discussions highlighted that the Pontiffs’ establishment of the Vatican Museums throughout the centuries was a response to the need to preserve, pass on and exhibit artistic masterpieces, in order to reveal the beauty of creation and the creative genius of mankind to the world.

Reference was made to what the Pope stated in the book Pope Francis. My Idea of Art, (Edizioni Musei Vaticani – Mondadori: “If the Pope has museums, it is precisely for this! Because art can be an extraordinary vehicle to tell men and women all over the world, with simplicity, the good news of God who becomes man for us, because he loves us! And that is beautiful!”.

The discussions, also underscored that the Vatican Museums were born as a collection of classical sculptures. In fact the Pontiffs saw themselves as having inherited all the classical heritage of Rome, that had become Christian. What remained of Roman civilization therefore, was to be preserved, studied and highlighted as a homage to God and honour for the Church.

Cardinal Cupich explained that in the second half of the 18th century, papal collections were expanded and gradually evolved into a museum, in the modern sense, with the objective of protecting works of art and promoting their study and knowledge.

Sr. Petrini and Cardinal Cupich noted that the Vatican Museums, as we know them today, are the result of an activity of collection, selection, preservation and investigation that led the Pope’s collections to become a treasure of art and faith. It is therefore thanks to the will of the Pontiffs that we can admire the many artefacts inside what is known as the “Pope’s Museum”.

The two relators highlighted that art is not only a product of genius, beauty and expressive creativity, but also a means of evangelization and that throughout the centuries, the Church has given fundamental importance to art, especially in certain periods when painting was a means to tell the mostly illiterate population about the mysteries of faith and to illustrate scenes from the history of salvation.

During the round table, some data was shared regarding the Vatican Museums: there are almost 800 employees, but including outside collaborators, the figure reaches 1,000 people, and some seven million visitors per year. The Museums stretch across a significant part of the buildings within the walls, with a route that spans seven kilometres, and are of primary importance for Vatican City State.

Sr. Petrini and Cardinal Cupich  also mentioned the “Green Vatican” project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving zero environmental impact, and the photovoltaic systems that are being set up as a roof over the Museums’ entrance, an effort which is part of the objectives to convert the smallest State in the world into an increasingly more sustainable environment. During the Jubilee Year of 2025, two million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome, and the Vatican Museums are preparing to welcome some of them, who on their pilgrimage to the Tomb of Peter, will visit the artistic heritage as a complement to their evangelical journey of conversion.