In the Footsteps of St. Peter: Pilgrimage along the Via Appia Antica and the Catacombs
Pilgrimage in the footsteps of the first Christians of Rome. From a meeting point in Piazza Cavour, we will travel by taxi to Via Appia Antica 249B, from where participants will walk approximately five kilometers toward the city, symbolically following the path along which, according to tradition, St. Peter returned to Rome after his encounter with Christ, prepared to remain faithful even unto martyrdom. The pilgrimage will continue with a guided visit to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus at 10:30 a.m., followed by the celebration of Holy Mass in the catacombs at noon, bringing the witness of Rome’s earliest martyrs into dialogue with that of the Mexican martyrs and with the reflection on the Christian meaning of martyrdom developed during the Congress. We will then visit the church of Domine Quo Vadis?, traditionally identified as the site of the encounter between Christ and St. Peter, before concluding the pilgrimage with lunch at a nearby restaurant.