I know many have walked down the broad boulevard leading to Saint Peter’s Basilica. And most know that it was planned by Mussolini after the Lateran Treaty.I also knew that many old buildings had to be torn down to construct it. But I had never seen what it was like before the demolition. Then a friend sent me this link.(HT:RS)

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, has contributed to Commonweal for fifty years. A selection of his essays and reviews, some of which first appeared in Commonweal, has been published as Christ Brings All Newness (Word on Fire Academic).

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