The Rome Life Forum is an intimate, fascinating conference, and the Eternal City is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
Reflecting back on my time at the 2017 Rome Life Forum, it almost feels like a different age. There was no COVID; there were no masks. Trump was president. There was a lot that Pope Francis and his allies were doing that was very concerning, but men like Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Cardinal Robert Sarah were still in prominent positions at the Vatican – there was still a sense, at least for me, that we could have some hope for the institutional Church. Summorum Pontificum was in full force; Traditional Latin Masses were booming and thriving.
It was magical to experience Rome as a young, bright-eyed journalist – and as an American. The food and architecture (particularly the magnificent churches) of European cities are completely different from anything we have in the U.S. So is the overall “vibe”: the pace of life, the well-dressed people, the cafés, the …More