Francis delivering the Bull of Indiction: “The Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident signs of God’s presence and closeness”.
“This is not the time to be distracted; on the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken
in ourselves the capacity to see what is essential This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father’s mercy. Pope Francis explained all and answered all possible questions about the Extraordinary Holy Year that he announced: “Many question in their hearts: why a Jubilee of Mercy today? Simply because the Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident signs of God’s presence and closeness”. The Pope’s words during the homily while reciting the First Vespers of the Sunday of Divine Mercy held in St. Peter’s Basilica, on the occasion of the delivery and reading of the Bull of Indiction “Misericordiae vultus”.
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy will begin on 8 December 2015 and will conclude on 20 November 2016.
The Pontiff began the homily speaking on the Resurrection of Christ and referred to the tragedies that are afflicting thousands of believers at this time: “The greeting of the Risen Christ to his disciples on the evening of Easter, ‘Peace be with you! Peace, especially during this Easter season, remains the desire of so many people who suffer unprecedented violence of discrimination and death simply because they bear the name “Christian”. Our prayer is all the more intense and becomes a cry for help to the Father, who is rich in mercy, that he may sustain the faith of our many brothers and sisters who are in pain. At the same time, we ask for the grace of the conversion of our own hearts so as to move from indifference to compassion.”
Pope Bergoglio underlined that “Saint Paul reminds us that we have been saved through the mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He is the Reconciler, who is alive in our midst offering the way to reconciliation with God and with each other.” The Apostle shows us that, “notwithstanding the difficulties and the sufferings of life, the hope of salvation which Christ has sown in our hearts nonetheless continues to grow. The mercy of God is poured out upon us, making us just and giving us peace.”
He then illustrated the thinking, reflections, considerations, and hopes that have lead the Argentinian Pope to announce this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: “Simply because the Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident signs of God’s presence and closeness. This is not the time to be distracted; on the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves the capacity to see what is essential. This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father’s mercy. For this reason, the Holy Year must keep alive the desire to know how to welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers to the whole world and, above all, to those who suffer, who are alone and abandoned, without hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father’s love. A Holy Year to experience strongly within ourselves the joy of having been found by Jesus, the Good Shepherd who has come in search of us because we were lost. A Jubilee to receive the warmth of his love when he bears us upon his shoulders and brings us back to the Father’s house. A year in which to be touched by the Lord Jesus and to be transformed by his mercy, so that we may become witnesses to mercy.”
Therefore, there will be a Jubilee “because this is the time for mercy. It is the favourable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
Francis concluded with an invocation to the “Mother of Divine Mercy”, to “open our eyes, so that we may comprehend the task to which we have been called; and may she obtain for us the grace to experience this Jubilee of Mercy as faithful and fruitful witnesses of Christ.”
Before the Vespers, Pope Francis, accompanied by the cardinals, walked to the atrium of the basilica, and before the Holy Door, delivered the Bull of Indiction to the cardinal archpriests of the papal basilicas in Rome: Angelo Comastri, of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican; Agostino Vallini, of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran; James Michael Harvey, of St. Paul’s Outside-of-the-Walls; Santos Abril y Castelló, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
To symbolically reach all the bishops of the world, the Pope gave a copy of the Bull to the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of the People, Cardinal Fernando Filoni; to the prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri. Representing the entire Orient, a copy was given to Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, born in Hong Kong and now secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of the People. The African continent was represented by Archbishop Barthélemy Adoukonou, originally from Benin and currently secretary of the Pontifical Council of Culture. For the Oriental Churches, Jorge Mario Bergoglio gave the Bull to Msgr. Khaled Ayad Bishay, of the Patriarchal Church of Alexandria of the Copts.
After which, the Regent of the Papal Household, Msgr. Leonardo Sapienza, as apostolic protonotary, read various extracts from the official document convoking the extraordinary Holy Year.
