Rome Italy Temple News
We
are not official spokespersons for the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Any information you see here will have
appeared elsewhere or will have first been approved for dissemination
by church officials.
Deseret News Article
This was the first news story that appeared after the announcement of the temple.
Church's Announcement of the Location of Temple in Rome
"In Rome, the temple will occupy part of a 15-acre Church-owned site near the ring road skirting the northeast section of Rome."
Article that Appeared in the National Italian Newspapers
This appears in both Italian and English versions
Personal Stories and a lot of Pictures of the Temple Site
See pictures and stories from a Sunday visit to the Temple Site and a Youth Conference Service Project this past summer
Additional Information
Every six weeks, new missionaries arrrive to begin their service. Before they meet their new companions, we take them to what we refer to as "the property owned by the church where we hope to see a temple someday!" They are given some time alone to be alone so that they can pray and dedicate themselves to the work here in Italy.
Here
is some information that was passed on to us about the temple
property when we first arrived here. (Sorry, we don't know
who wrote it, but it was likely one of the mission presidents before
us.)
Before you are able to build in Rome, the city has to check to make sure that there are no Roman ruins on the property. This is accomplished by digging trenches every 10 to 15 feet across the property. In the event that ruins are found, a construction permit is not issued. The day the inspectioin was to occur, members in Rome held a special fast in preparation for this crucial sweep of the property. The result was that on the 14.8 acres of property, absolutely nothing was found. The miracle is that only 100 yards from the border of the church property, the researchers found an old Roman village.
Why We Have Temples
Also part of the tour for the new missionaries is the Basilica of St. Paul (sometimes referred to as "St. Paul's beyond the wall" because it is where Paul was taken to be killed -- outside the original walls of Rome). There is a phrase in Latin above an alter in the Basilica which says, "EXALTATA EST AD CAELESTIA REGNA" which means, "Exaltation is the Celestial Kingdom."
Those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know that we believe as the Apostle Paul taught: that the celestial kingdom is the highest degree of glory. It is where God lives.
We believe that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind will be saved (resurrected), but for each of us to be "exalted" to live with God, we must do certain things: have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized by immersion for the remission of our sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end by always striving to keep His commandments. We believe that even after baptism, we will continue to make mistakes, but because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the possibility of repenting and being forgiven, always working in this manner to become closer to God, our Heavenly Father.
This will hopefully explain why we have missionaries and why we believe it is so important to bring as many as possible to Christ and to baptism. We want all to have the blessings of exaltation. We want all to have the opportunity to live with God.
This is why our temples are so important. If a person does not have the opportunity to hear the gospel or be baptized while on the earth (perhaps they were born at a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ was not on the earth, or they lived in a country where there was no Christianity, etc.), they can, as also taught by Paul, be baptized by someone who is willing to stand as proxy for them in the temple. They then have the choice to accept this baptism or not. We also perform other sacred ordinances in the temple such as sealings (where a husband and wife can be sealed for eternity). Click here to learn more.
Deseret News Article
This was the first news story that appeared after the announcement of the temple.
Church's Announcement of the Location of Temple in Rome
"In Rome, the temple will occupy part of a 15-acre Church-owned site near the ring road skirting the northeast section of Rome."
Article that Appeared in the National Italian Newspapers
This appears in both Italian and English versions
Personal Stories and a lot of Pictures of the Temple Site
See pictures and stories from a Sunday visit to the Temple Site and a Youth Conference Service Project this past summer
Additional Information
Every six weeks, new missionaries arrrive to begin their service. Before they meet their new companions, we take them to what we refer to as "the property owned by the church where we hope to see a temple someday!" They are given some time alone to be alone so that they can pray and dedicate themselves to the work here in Italy.
Here
is some information that was passed on to us about the temple
property when we first arrived here. (Sorry, we don't know
who wrote it, but it was likely one of the mission presidents before
us.)
- The land is made up of 14.8 acres (as a comparison, Temple Square in Salt Lake City is 10 acres).
- On the deed it is written, "For a building with national significance."
- The property was purchased during the time that President Flossi served as mission president (1996-1999).
- The land is situated just off the large beltway that surrounds Rome (the Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA) near a large mall that includes Ikea. This mall necessitated a new exit from the GRA which will be helpful for those visiting the temple.
- The land is visible from the GRA where 60,000-100,000 cars drive each day.
Before you are able to build in Rome, the city has to check to make sure that there are no Roman ruins on the property. This is accomplished by digging trenches every 10 to 15 feet across the property. In the event that ruins are found, a construction permit is not issued. The day the inspectioin was to occur, members in Rome held a special fast in preparation for this crucial sweep of the property. The result was that on the 14.8 acres of property, absolutely nothing was found. The miracle is that only 100 yards from the border of the church property, the researchers found an old Roman village.
Why We Have Temples
Also part of the tour for the new missionaries is the Basilica of St. Paul (sometimes referred to as "St. Paul's beyond the wall" because it is where Paul was taken to be killed -- outside the original walls of Rome). There is a phrase in Latin above an alter in the Basilica which says, "EXALTATA EST AD CAELESTIA REGNA" which means, "Exaltation is the Celestial Kingdom."
Those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know that we believe as the Apostle Paul taught: that the celestial kingdom is the highest degree of glory. It is where God lives.
We believe that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind will be saved (resurrected), but for each of us to be "exalted" to live with God, we must do certain things: have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized by immersion for the remission of our sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end by always striving to keep His commandments. We believe that even after baptism, we will continue to make mistakes, but because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the possibility of repenting and being forgiven, always working in this manner to become closer to God, our Heavenly Father.
This will hopefully explain why we have missionaries and why we believe it is so important to bring as many as possible to Christ and to baptism. We want all to have the blessings of exaltation. We want all to have the opportunity to live with God.
This is why our temples are so important. If a person does not have the opportunity to hear the gospel or be baptized while on the earth (perhaps they were born at a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ was not on the earth, or they lived in a country where there was no Christianity, etc.), they can, as also taught by Paul, be baptized by someone who is willing to stand as proxy for them in the temple. They then have the choice to accept this baptism or not. We also perform other sacred ordinances in the temple such as sealings (where a husband and wife can be sealed for eternity). Click here to learn more.