Rome...

...the eternal city. And, as in all the summers these past 2,000 years of Christian history, and all the summers before that, it's been sizzling in heat. There are occasional outbreaks of almost tropical-style rain, and the day after my arrival saw one of these, bringing comments about the Englishwoman from London who brought some London weather...I was kept busy, doing a programme for Vatican Radio, attending various meetings, and above all spending an unforgettable afternoon at a convent, talking to a wonderful gentleman who as a teenager was hidden there with other members of his Jewish family, during World War II. A kindly Sister with a sweet smile brought us a tray of fruit juice and pastries, and we sat around the table with Fr Nicoletti translating everything back and forth as Mr P. did not speak any English and I have no Italian. Outside, the sun beat down on the busy piazza, inside we sat in the cool room with its big old-fashioned furniture and its heavy tablecloth, various pious objects on shelves, and the sound of chanting coming from the chapel...and the tale of events of seven decades ago slowly unfolded...