MERCY TOURS
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Basilica of St. John Lateran
This basilica is still the true seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope. For 11 centuries it was also the popes’ residence until they moved to Avignon, France. After they moved back to Rome, they lived in Vatican City. Five ecumenical councils were held in the cathedral between the 12th and the 16th centuries.
The basilica also houses magnificent artwork, and the remains of several saints. Pope Innocent III, the pontiff who approved the rule of St. Francis, and the rule of St. Dominic, is entombed here. After dreaming of St. Francis holding up the collapsing St. John Lateran, Innocent III realized that God would use this seemingly insignificant man to “rebuild His Church”, and gave St. Francis his approval for the Order the next day.
We also see the tomb of Pope Leo XIII, who had the vision of Lucifer challenging Our Lord, claiming that he could destroy God’s Church in 100 years. As a result of this vision, Leo XIII composed the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which was recited after every mass for many decades. This basilica also contains wood from the table used at the Last Supper. It is high above the altar above the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, to the left of the main papal altar.
