"For 20 centuries there has been total agreement on the fact the tomb of Saint Paul the Apostle is there. No one has ever questioned that, and no one has ever opposed to that": these are the words with which this morning card. Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the basilica of S. Paolo fuori Le Mura, presented, during a press conference at the Vatican, the results of the work that unearthed Saint Paul’s sarcophagus. "This sarcophagus he added has never been opened and has never been explored, partly because it is set in a block of concrete that incorporates and dates back to 1838-1840. An internal exploration of the sarcophagus might be in order, not least to satisfy the curiosity of those who wonder whether it contains the remains of the Apostle. But authorisations will be needed". The archpriest added some details of the plan for a "global rearrangement of the basilica, in its internal and external areas, to make it more functional and also to equip it with the services that would be needed today for an adequate flow of devotees and pilgrims and also for the sake of security". (to be continued)
