Pope Francis announces extraordinary Holy Year

Pope Francis announces extraordinary Holy Year

FLORENCE, ITALY – Pope Francis marked his second anniversary in the papacy by announcing an extraordinary Holy Year dedicated to the mercy of God. The event, which could draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome, will begin on December 8, when the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica will be formally opened, and continue through November 20, 2016 when the doors are again resealed.

Pope Francis made the announcement Friday in a penitential liturgy for Lent, which reflected themes of mercy and compassion similar to those he spoke of two years earlier at his inauguration.

“I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy,” the pope explained Friday. “It is a journey that begins with a spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its center,” he added.

The Pope’s visit in Florence scheduled November 12, 2015 will be one of the last journeys before the Holy Year. Pope Francis will be in Florence to host the Italian Church Forum, organized by CEI, the Italian Bishops’ Conference (Fortezza da Basso, 9 to 13 November 2015).

According to the Vatican, extraordinary Holy Years can be called any time to mark a significant event, and the most recent was in 1983. Ordinary Holy Years are generally called every 25 years, the last in 2000 which drew some 25 million pilgrims to Rome, representing a 25% jump in the number of annual visitors to the ancient city.

The opening of the Holy Door signifies a transition and after that at St. Peter’s, Holy Doors will be unsealed at three other papal basilicas in Rome – St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major.

The first Holy Year was declared in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, and since 1475 an ordinary Jubilee year has been celebrated every 25 years.


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