In St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, visitors come to honor the bronze statue of St Peter. St Peter was the first Pope and the foundation of the early church, and the basilica was built over his tomb. But why do people touch St Peter’s foot?

Pilgrims used to bend down to kiss the foot of St Peter’s statue in the Vatican, and over time, the metal has worn away so much that the toes now blend in with the rest of the foot. Nowadays, most visitors prefer to touch the statue’s foot instead of kissing it, but the feet are still worn down from all the human contact.

When we visited, there was a constant flow of people passing by the statue. Some were in a hurry to see the next attraction, some paused to say a prayer, and others stopped to take a photo. It’s a way for people to find personal meaning in a place that can otherwise feel overwhelming due to its grandeur and magnificence.

I’m glad that visitors can get close enough to touch the statue. It would be a shame if all the beautiful objects were locked away behind glass, like Michelangelo’s Pieta, which was placed behind glass after someone tried to damage it with a hammer. This kind of interaction is important because it reflects the original purpose of these religious works of art.