Constantine The Great

It's been a few years since Valerie and I visited Rome and I took these photos.  We discussed Constantine the Great the other day in Sunday school at church and I decided to look back at some of the photographs I took while in Rome.  These are of a giant statue of Constantine that once stood in the Basilica of Maxentius.  The photograph at the bottom of the page is of Constantine's Arch, which resides next to the Colosseum.

Benedictus Ex Ædificio Exiit

Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI made history by declaring he would resign on February 28, 2013.  The last pope to resign his office instead of retaining it until his death was Pope Gregory XII.  He resigned in 1415.  In 1415, Joan of Arc was only 3, Christopher Columbus would not be born for another 36 years, Gutenberg would not print his famous Bibles for another 40 years, and the Western Hemisphere would not be discovered for another 77 years.

We saw Pope Benedict when we traveled to Italy in 2011.  We had the opportunity to attend one of the open-air weekly audiences on St. Peter's Square.  He rode by in the Popemobile only a few yards away from our seats.