Weekly column from Italy: How to serve the city of Rome

They might consider me a bigot and closed-minded person. When I open a blank document to start writing about a topic from a Christian perspective, I almost hear the voices and criticisms of all my former university friends. I think of those who might be offended by what I am writing.

It was the first time this friend of mine visited me in Krakow. I told him, I would take him to Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter. It was on a Saturday. My friend asked me why bother going there if everything would be closed on the Jewish holy day. I was confused for a minute and then suddenly connected the dots saying: No, my friend! It is indeed called a “Jewish quarter” but not because Jews live there today. It is called so because of the history of that part of the city!

Last weekend, winter returned to Central Europe. It snowed for two days, and temperatures dropped below the freezing point. We had to turn on the heater again because temperatures were already spring-like the days before.