Now that it feels more like a museum most of the time, they are used less often.
In order to "update" the nave, the current basilica administration has decided to add a kiosk, called a "Listening Space." Not a confessional, a judgement-free listening space, in very modern curvy white, in case you need someone to listen to you. No judging.
Image and text from Infovaticana:
St. Peter's Basilica recently inaugurated a Spazio d'Ascolto (Listening Space), open to both the faithful and visitors, with the aim of offering a place for dialogue and spiritual accompaniment.
According to the AICA agency, the new space is available inside the basilica and seeks to offer each person the opportunity to pause and be heard, whether by priests, religious, or lay people trained for pastoral service.
“The Holy Door, opened at the time, inspired us to open ‘another door’ in St. Peter's Basilica and create a space for listening,” explained Monsignor Orazio Pepe, secretary of the Fabric of St. Peter's, the institution responsible for the maintenance and management of the Vatican temple.
“It is an open space, an opportunity for encounter, a place where one brother—a priest, a nun, a lay person—listens to another brother in humanity,” he added.
A place to free the heart
Monsignor Pepe pointed out that the Listening Space does not replace the confessional, but offers a moment of inner pause, a time to speak freely about one's thoughts and concerns.
“The listener does not replace the confessor who administers the sacrament of reconciliation,” he explained. “It is simply a pause that allows one to speak and confront one's thoughts with someone willing to listen.”
The prelate emphasized that the purpose is to help free the heart “from the burden, pain, and doubts that life brings.”
Also for those seeking beauty and meaning
According to AICA, the secretary of the Fabric of St. Peter's emphasized that this space can also have an impact on those who visit the basilica for cultural or tourist reasons.
“For those who enter as tourists in search of beauty, this space can be a unique opportunity,” he said, “an invitation to ask meaningful questions about life and about God.”
Monsignor Pepe expressed his hope that the experience will awaken a spiritual curiosity in visitors:
“The seeds of the Gospel, sown in people's hearts, will bear fruit in due course. And if they awaken a holy curiosity, people will be able to continue that dialogue in their city or country, contacting the local Church.”
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