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Anonymous Rodger wrote:

Hi, guys —

Hello and God Bless.

I am a non-denominational Christian and am studying Catholicism and seriously considering converting to the Catholic Church. However, when I shared that I was considering converting, and signing up for RCIA classes someone showed me some paintings and construction in the 1970s in Rome where it looks like the Pope is sitting in the mouth of a snake, and where it looks like Jesus is in Hell. Without any context, I find this confusing and troubling.

  • Can you post some information about the paintings and construction I was told about?

I trust your information and look forward to getting past this stumbling block.

Anonymous Rodger

  { Can you provide some information on the strange paintings and construction I was shown? }

Eric replied:

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

You will find every sort of distortion of Catholicism and lie about it, because it is the true Church that Jesus founded, and Satan is opposed to it.

OK, unfortunately we don't have a lot of information to go on, based on your description, but this is what I can offer.

First, about the "pope sitting in the mouth of a snake". I haven't seen this as such, but I have heard that some people have taken photos of the Paul VI Audience Hall, opened in 1971, with a specialized "fisheye" lens which distorts it into a serpent-looking shape. I don't know if the pope is "in" these photos, or the fact that the hall was used by him to receive guests caused some conflation and confusion. Refer to this web page and see if this is what you saw:

I'd also encourage you to check out:

This more or less addresses what is probably the "Jesus in Hell" portrayal you are thinking of. It's a modernist work of art (and we know how bad that can get) of Jesus preaching peace for 2000, considered after a nuclear holocaust. You may not like the art but it's not about Jesus being "condemned" in the Hell of the damned. See:

Why after some 1,940 years of Catholicism some yahoo modernist architect's supposedly building a serpent-like building or modernist artist constructing a weird sculpture would prove anything about the origins or truth of Catholicism is beyond me.

These are just excuses people use to promote their preconceived biases.

Eric

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