Piazza San Pietro -- Saint Peter's Square: one of the architectural jewels of mankind, the centerpiece of baroque Rome, and one of the masterpieces of the long and productive life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
While there have been significant changes outside and leading to the square (done by the Italian state after the Lateran agreements), the magnificent square itself has been left virtually unchanged since Bernini added the second fountain in 1675 to make the whole space perfectly symmetrical. Not even the upheavals that followed the unfortunate Second Vatican Council were enough for the post-conciliar popes to feel entitled to make changes to this central spot of Catholicism and Romanitas. On the square itself, many temporary structures are often added for events or security, but only two images were to be found on the ground, in the space in front of the basilica: the patron saints of the City, Saints Peter and Paul.
That is, until today:
This Sunday, the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (which, in the Novus Ordo calendar gathers "angels" in general), the very "woke" bishop of Rome unveiled a two-ton massive bronze boondoggle called "Angels Unaware", dedicated to "refugees and migrants".
The only positive thing to say about it is that at least it is not a piece of incomprehensible "contemporary art", but only of low-quality realism.
Ugly, massive, disproportionate: but at least Francis once again expensively signals his virtue as a high priest of worldliness. If those were real migrants and refugees trying to get inside the basilica past the security under the colonnades or into the walls of the Vatican, they would never be able to get inside... not even with fake wings...
