Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE 23-JULY 13, 2018 Finding Peter O n November 24, 2013, Pope Francis displayed St. Peter's bones publicly for the fi rst time. This momentous occasion cul- minated the incredible 70-year pro- cess of dis- covery and authentica- tion of the relics. The bones now thought to belong to the Apostle Peter were caught up in tumul- tuous confl ict between two archae- ologists. They were accidentally dis- covered, placed in storage for roughly 20 years, received a short period of authentication and veneration under Paul VI, and were returned to storage for decades after Paul's death, until Pope Benedict XVI began a process to reconsider their authenticity. On June 29, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Apostles who centered the Church in Rome through their ministry and martyrdom there. The Church in Rome, including two of its major basilicas, was "built on the foundation of the´apostles" (Ephesians 2:20), pre- serving their authority and celebrat- ing the sacraments over their tombs. After excavating under the altar of St. Paul's Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI authenticated the bones discovered there as Paul's in 2009. Those lucky enough to have taken the Scavi Tour under St. Peter's Basilica have entered into the ancient necropolis over which Constantine built his grand basilica. This area remained largely untouched until the death of Pope Pius XI in 1939. The remarkable and tortuous tale of the discovery of Peter's bones has been told before, particularly by John Walsh's The Bones of St. Peter (Sophia, 2011 reprint). Bestselling author John O'Neill felt compelled to tell the story again, despite overwhelming health obstacles, to add some important unknown details. His new book, The Fisherman's Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican's Secret Search (OSV, 2018), not only continues the narra- tive into the pontifi cate of Francis, describing the ping pong of Vatican archaeological politics in the fi ght over Peter's bones, but also brings the narrative to the United States. The uniqueness of O'Neill's account derives from the previously unknown support of Houston's oil tycoon George Strake, who fi nanced not only the excavation to fi nd Peter, but many other crucial projects of the Holy See. O'Neill claims that Strake also fi nanced the Holy See's e orts to rescue Jews and Allied prisoners during World War II and to counter the rise of Communism afterwards, fi nancing new parishes and schools throughout Italy. Not only did he fi nance extraordinary projects for the Holy Father, but he also endowed the Pius XII Memorial Library at St. Louis University to honor the pope who began the excavation and to preserve an extensive microfi lm collection of the treasures of the Vatican Library. We fi nd a group of three priests central to the narrative, infelici- tously dubbed the "Three Amigos" by O'Neill, who worked to support the excavation under St. Peter's. This threesome included Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI, and two American priests, Walter Carroll and Joseph McGeough (who later became an archbishop and apostolic nuncio). O'Neill also paints the picture of Margherita Guarducci, the archaeo- logical hero of the story, who took over the excavations under St. Peter's after the mishaps of the initial team (led by her rival Father Ferrua). She used her expertise in epigraphy, the interpre- tation of ancient inscriptions, to crack the code leading to the correct loca- tion of St. Peter's bones, after other bones had mistakenly been attributed to the apostle (111). The initial excava- tion had overlooked the importance of the Gra« ti Wall, which contained the inscription, "Peter is here," in favor of the more centrally located Trophy of Gaius. The bones identifi ed by Guarducci had been buried previ- ously under the Trophy, but relocated, probably for safety, and forensic tests revealed them to be from a man in his 60s of robust build, draped in purple imperial style cloth from the fi rst cen- turies AD, and with his feet severed in a sign of crucifi xion. The Fisherman's Tomb helps com- plete the story of how we found St. Peter under the basilica built in his honor. The book contains some small inaccuracies, repetitiveness, and overreaching analogies that defl ect from its central focus, but nonethe- less provides an important narrative. It can help us discover the centrality of the Apostle Pet er for his upcoming feast day and may inspire us to make our own pilgrimage to fi nd and vener- ate his relics. his parents, his friends, his extended family, his parish. Now multiply this process a dozen times, a hundred times, a thousand times — again, especially in a country as small as Ire- land — and you will fi nd that, in very short order, the entire nation is fi lled with anger, indignation, and a legit- imate thirst for setting things right. I do believe that what we witnessed last week was a powerfully emotional reaction to the great crimes of the last several decades. The deeply sad truth is that the abuse of young men and women has given rise to an even more dramatic abuse of unborn children. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. Is there a way forward for Ireland? I think a signifi cant sign of hope is the considerable number of people who took the extremely unpopular stance against this legislative innovation. Knowing full well that they would likely lose and that they would be sub- ject to ridicule and perhaps even the loss of their professional positions, they courageously argued for life. On that foundation, much of value can be built. But what Ireland most needs at this moment — and indeed for the next hundred years — are saints and mystics. Moral arguments can and should be made, but if the Church wants to recover its standing as a shaper of the Irish culture, it has to produce men and women who give themselves radically to the Gospel. It needs fi gures in the mold of Teresa of Calcutta, Oscar Romero, Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day — indeed of St. Patrick, St. Brendan, St. Columbanus, and St. Brigid. And it requires men and women of prayer, like the found- ers of the great Benedictine, Fran- ciscan, Dominican, Cistercian, and Trappist houses that still dot the Irish countryside — and like the strange denizens of Skellig Michael, who for six centuries clung to the edges of the world o the coast of Ireland and lived in total dependence upon God.´´ Finally, only prayer, witness, radi- cal trust in divine providence, honest preaching, and the living of the radi- cal Gospel will undo the damage done May 27 . The Catholic Reader R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the director of formation for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolifi c writer, and insatiable reader. DR. R. JARED STAUDT PAUL FAITH | AFP | GETTY IMAGES

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