“The Mirror of God”: Gregorio 13. and the Reform of the Calendar

It was on the first of January 45 BC when calendar reform instigated by Julius Caesar came into force. From then until fifteen centuries later on February 24, 1582, when Pope Gregorio XIII issued the Inter gravissimas pastoralis officii nostri curas by means of which, thanks to a drastic subtraction of ten days for the October of that year, a system of calculation of the days and months, which was more accurate than the previous system, was developed. This was a decision which was both courageous and definitive and a decision which is now widely accepted in most countries in the world, so much so that even where the Gregorian calendar has not yet been fully implemented, there is still hope about achieving a convergence on consensus for the date regarding the celebration of Easter. Not surprisingly, on May 6, 2014, the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Tawadros II, encouraged Pope Francis to move precisely in this direction. History and Geography together thus seem to join forces in highlighting the importance of the reform of The Gregorian calendar as a watershed and central reality in the West and, by extension, throughout the whole world. And, it was in this great attempt at guiding civil and religious life in Europe – towards what was eloquently called the “Mirror of God” – that Villa Mondragone served as the magnificent and majestic backdrop.