On Wednesday morning we got to attend the Pope’s bible study! It was such an honor to be in his presence. After the bible study we had a meeting at the U.S. embassy to the Holy Sea. It very insightful getting to talk to and learn what the everyday business of the embassy is. Finally … Continue reading Earning credits in World Religions and International Relations in Rome! by Tyler Gray
Ahhh, what a day! Just waking up to the Italian sunrise is enough to quirk my lips into a grin; especially with my hotel room’s great overlook of the Rome city streets. Today though, the sky was littered with gray clouds, promising rain showers throughout the day. That didn’t bother the group one bit. In … Continue reading Dodge Challenger’s Big Italy Adventure: It’s Always Sunny in Italy! by Eritha Cainion
This afternoon we visited the consulate to the Holy See. Awesome stuff. Interesting to see how Pope Francis is working so hard with the embassy on several things, including ending human trafficking. Remember that Florida (Clearwater) has one of the worst records for human trafficking in America, so that hits close to home. Afterward, we … Continue reading Consulate of the Holy See by Brandy Stark
We saw the Pope today! This is probably the most significant thing on this trip so far. I think we also may have seen the entire population of Italy in one courtyard. This event was really interesting, and definitely displayed the importance of this guy. There were extensive amounts of translators, flags, and languages. Pope … Continue reading The Pope will now greet you… in Italian. by Sydney Merritt
Today was a great day for touring Rome. Bright and sunny all day. The group explored the US embassy and learned all about how the embassy uses its connections with the Holy See to expand its reach where they were not able to go before. Having relations with the Holy See give the US a … Continue reading Day 4: the Pope’s Bible Study and the Holy See by Alexander Baldwin
We got up early so we could get a good spot to see Pope Francis (or as the Italians say, Papa Francesco) when he gave a speech. It was pretty awesome when the Pope came around on a cart and I was only about 10-5 (I think) yards away. There were people handing babies to … Continue reading The learning experience continues in Italy! by Austin Hart
On the fourth day we moved class outside to go see Pope Francis give a speech in The Vatican Square. I found the event rather interesting because it wasn’t exactly what I expected. He did act a lot like a state leader/president but he also seemed like a celebrity in my opinion. To me it … Continue reading The Pope, his character and influence in international relations by Jacob Ward
On day two we went and toured both The Coliseum an The Forum. Both were fairly impressive and demonstrated how advanced and powerful the Romans were for their time. Most of Rome’s architecture depicted ancient battles and important events which is also very interesting because it has become one of our best sources of the … Continue reading It is fascinating that someone could build such a thing as the Coliseum in that time period! by Jacob Ward
Today was truly a once-in-a-lifetime day. I mean, yes, this entire trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but today was just the panna (whipped cream) on the gelato. We went to the Vatican’s bible study this morning, arriving at just past 8 o’clock this morning, and were greeted by thousands of people. Thousands. All to see the Pope, and rightfully … Continue reading Papa Francesco! by Sara-Kay West
Today was quite the exciting one. To start of the morning, I’m just lying there perfectly content in dream land when I hear the loudest banging on a door possibly created… or so I thought. Immediately I jump out of bed with complete alertness like some burglar is trying to get in. Fortunately it was … Continue reading Receiving the Pope’s Blessing in Rome! by Daniella Sanchez