Visiting the Catacombs in Rome
In 1996, I went to Italy on a pilgrimage. I was with a group of people, about thirty of us. We visited Rome and many other places. The priest said to us, “Tomorrow morning, after Mass, we will go to visit the Catacombs.”
I heard a lot about the Catacombs in Rome, so I was curious to see them. When we arrived there, I remember standing in front of a large ancient gate, waiting for it to be opened so that we could enter the Catacomb grounds.
The priest said, “I will open the gate, and you can then all come through and follow me.”
I was near the very front of the line. As our priest opened the gate, our group started to walk through. When I came to the gate, I simply could not move; I could not go through the gate. There was some blockage there that was holding me back. It was pushing me back.
The priest spoke in Italian and asked me, “What is wrong with you?”
I replied, “I can’t go forward. I just can’t!”
He said, “Well, try.”
I said, “I am trying.”
There was something that just would not let me through; I simply could not move forward. It was like a wall in front of me. Everybody behind me was getting quite upset and started shouting at me, “Come on! Why are you holding us up?”
I felt so embarrassed. The priest then went towards a little Chapel on the side and, taking out his prayer book, said, “Oh, I understand now. I think you have some evil around you that won’t let you go through.”
The priest then opened up his prayer book and said a prayer, and then he blessed me. I was then immediately able to go through the gate and enter the Catacombs. I didn’t really enjoy my visit there.
After my pilgrimage had finished, I went back to my mother’s home in Slovenia to visit her. I think I must have brought the souls from the Catacombs with me. They haunted me. I could hear their voices, screaming and calling me, begging me for help. I was exhausted mentally. I thought to myself, never again. If I ever revisit Rome, I will not visit the Catacombs.
I told the local priest that I thought I was going mental. He said, “No, no. You are a person who attracts the souls. They all want something from you. You are in the middle, and they are all begging and begging.”
There must have been souls there from ancient times that were trapped and still needed help. The whole experience was quite amazing, and the souls wore me out.
Lord, have mercy on these souls.