The Basilica of St. Peter 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 agency AICA, the new space is available inside the basilica and seeks to provide each person with the opportunity to pause and be heard, whether by priests, nuns, or laypeople prepared for pastoral service.
“The Holy Door, opened in its time, inspired us to open ‘another door’ in the Basilica of St. Peter and create a listening space,” explained Monsignor Orazio Pepe, secretary of the Fabric of St. Peter, the institution responsible for the maintenance and management of the Vatican temple.
“It is an open space, an opportunity for encounter, a place where a brother—a priest, a nun, a layperson—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 rather offers a moment of interior pause, a time to speak freely about one’s own thoughts and concerns.
“Whoever listens does not replace the confessor who administers the sacrament of reconciliation,” he explained. “It is simply a pause that allows speaking and confronting one’s own thoughts with someone willing to listen.”
The prelate emphasized that the purpose is to help free the heart “from the burden, the pain, and the doubts that life entails.”
Also for those seeking beauty and meaning
According to what was reported by AICA, the secretary of the Fabric of St. Peter 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 awakens a spiritual restlessness in the visitors:
“The seeds of the Gospel, sown in the hearts of people, will bear fruit in due time. And if they awaken a holy restlessness, people will be able to continue that dialogue in their city or country, contacting the local Church.”