Rome: Once and Future Capital of Europe

I last visited Rome four years ago. Since then I have watched it from a distance across the Atlantic observing its politics and fascinated by the growing signs of its revitalization. Of course, the pope’s funeral had the whole world riveted to the seven-hilled city toward which, tradition has it, all roads lead. Thus the city recently gained multiple millions of dollars’ worth of free publicity, worldwide, courtesy of the global media industry. The other religions of the world had to just look on as a religious spectacle—unprecedented since the invention of mass media—held the world enthralled. You name it—Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Hinduism, Protestantism, or any other “ism” for that matter in the confusion that is represented by this world’s religious and ideological cultures—none could hold a candle to the sheer opulence, splendor and garish enchantment of this great Roman event.

Watching Rome and observing the reports of the bustle of construction, refurbishment and cleaning up that is currently going on there, it is apparent that something profound is happening to that ancient city. Pope John Paul ii certainly motivated the enhancement of Rome’s appearance for his great millennial celebrations as we crossed the threshold from century 20 to 21. But there seems, from all accounts, to be a particular vigor about the continuing renovation of Rome at this juncture. It is shedding its moldy cloak. This ancient and historic city, spiritual capital to the old “Holy” Roman Empire, is modernizing at a frenetic pace. Its fabulous treasures of high art and architecture are being surrounded by a-la-mode structures bespeaking a 21st-century look.

Stimulated by the Vatican’s millennial Grand Jubilee year and influenced by the dynamism of the city’s mayor, Walter Veltroni, new building construction has picked up apace. Yet, though aggressive, this building initiative has a strong cultural edge to it. As Veltroni explained, “Our plan is to make the most of the historic character of the city, safeguarding it and making it live together with the city’s modernity. There is no conflict between the two” (Condé Nast Traveler, March 2005).

There seems to be little doubt that the city of Rome is being prepared for its final fling as spiritual capital of this world.

City Icons

It is intriguing to observe end-time prophecies coalescing in Rome, Berlin and Paris. These are the Western capitals of the prime nations that are the driving force of the European Union. All other nations fall into place behind the Italo-Franco-German juggernaut. Madrid has increasingly joined this triumvirate since José Rodríguez Zapatero was elected Spain’s leader last year. Whereas the former prime minister was more intent on siding with Britain on important issues, Zapatero has easily fallen in step with the Franco-German combine.

Paris started its great cleanup of centuries of accumulated grime back in the 1960s under Charles de Gaulle. The result was a revelation of architectural brilliance that had been hidden under the soot, grime, dust and mold produced by the city’s crowded population, centuries of coal-fired stoves, and patina of the Industrial Revolution. In this world, no city can compare with Paris’s gilt-trimmed brilliance in spring.

Nevertheless, it is not to Paris that the world will look during the time of Europe’s final dominance as the final resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Empire.

For some time we have thought that Spain would reassert its power as a prime influence in garnering Latin America back into Europe’s fold. End-time prophecy indicates that global geopolitics will fracture along religious lines. With Latin America being the only continent on the planet with a single dominant language and religion—Spanish and Roman Catholicism—all indications lead to the conclusion that this region, through the old imperial influence of Spain, will be drawn in under the EU umbrella. Yet, with Spain being a committed EU member and the weakest of the leading four EU nations, there’s obviously no hope of Madrid exerting itself as the capital of the reviving Euro-empire.

Thus it falls to the two other dominant nations in Europe—the one asserting its traditional religion, Italy; the other dominating it economically, politically and, in time, militarily, Germany—to furnish the city icons to which the world can look. It is, then, no mean coincidence that both Rome and Berlin are in the midst of great refurbishment at this time.

Since the Berlin Wall cracked open on Nov. 9, 1989, plans have been afoot to revive Berlin as the political capital of the EU. For years—and to this day—Brussels, Belgium, has had that honor. However, throughout the 1990s and on into the 21st century, Berlin has been one huge construction site, as old buildings were razed, new, futuristic buildings erected, and still others of historic significance—including the infamous Reichstag—refurbished and renewed. Berlin has even put back on display the dusted-off and polished-up statues of Germany’s military heroes that were banished following World War ii. That city’s future as the grand capital of a revived, reunited Germany was cemented when Gerhard Schröder moved the German government headquarters from the innocuous, lackluster Bonn, its Cold War capital, back to the city that was capital of Germany under both Kaiser Wilhelm and Hitler: Berlin.

But it is not Berlin—yet—upon which the eyes of the world rest. It is Rome. Rome, where the greatest media extravaganza ever took place on April 8 with the funeral of Pope John Paul ii. Rome, undergoing a massive beautification program, which no doubt will be a fitting backdrop to the machinations of the new pope.

As an Associated Press writer commented, the final days of the pope “sparked a sustained outpouring of reverence both for him and the Roman Catholic Church …” (April 3). The icon of that religion and its old empire is the city of Rome.

Yet, for all the rich heritage of the seven-hilled city—for all the power and opulence of its dominant church—the wealthiest institution in this world—that old city is prophesied to fall in one hour, at the end of the very hour in history through which we are all living right now (Revelation 18:10). What a spectacular day for this world that day shall be!