Saint Peter

Imagine the Eternal City. No, not the grand and imperial Rome we all know. Today, I take you into the heart of a true nightmare. It's the year 64 AD. Entire districts are engulfed in flames. The fire spreads uncontrollably, and as smoke rises high into the sky, the people scream in anger and fear, asking who is responsible.

One name quickly begins to circulate. Nero. It's July 19th, 64 AD, and Rome is engulfed in one of the greatest fires ever seen. For six days and seven nights, the flames consume the city. People lose everything, and chaos reigns. But there is something even more unsettling about this event.

When the flames finally die down, suspicion begins to point to the most powerful man in Rome, the emperor himself, Nero. It's said that the emperor watched the city burn from his golden villa, playing the lyre as if it were a spectacle to behold.

At this point, Nero needed to deflect blame to avoid being accused. He had to find a scapegoat, someone to take the fall. Who better than a small religious sect, already viewed with suspicion by many in Rome? The Christians. Rome is in ruins. The people are furious, and Nero needs an enemy.

So he points the finger at the Christians, a group of men and women living on the fringes of Roman society. To many, these Christians were strange. They did not respect Roman gods, and even refused to participate in imperial cults.

Among them, one name was often heard, a fisherman from Galilee, Peter. Peter, who had been a follower of Jesus, a direct witness to his crucifixion and resurrection, was a rather prominent figure. Nero launched his persecution campaign. Christians were arrested, tortured, and killed in brutal ways. Many were thrown into arenas, fed to wild beasts, or burned alive as human torches.

Such was the level of cruelty reached. And Peter? His story was no exception. According to ancient chronicles, as Rome burned, Peter's followers urged him to flee the city. There is a famous episode, you may already know it, it's called Corvadis, which means, where are you going?

Peter was leaving Rome to escape Nero's persecution. Walking along the Appian Way, he reportedly saw a figure appear before him. It was Jesus. Surprised, Peter asked, Lord, where are you going? And Jesus replied, I'm going to Rome to be crucified again.

At that moment, Peter understood the message. He had to turn back. He could not flee. He had to face his destiny. So, Peter returned to Rome. Shortly afterwards, he was arrested. The Roman authorities condemned him to death, but Peter made a specific request. He did not want to be crucified like Jesus. He felt unworthy of dying in the same manner.

Thus Peter asked to be crucified upside down. And so, Peter's life ended in this way. A simple man, a fisherman, who became the first pope of the church. He died during one of the most brutal persecutions, yet his story did not end there.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was built precisely over the site where he was crucified, which at the time was Nero's Circus. The only remaining trace of it today is a silent witness, the obelisk that has stood at the centre of St. Peter's Square since 1586, placed there by Pope Sixtus V.

This is the story of the martyrdom of St. Peter, the first pope of the Church, who did not consider himself worthy to die as Jesus did.