This is the night when God tells everyone: there is hope for you too, announced Pope Francis during the midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. In his homily, he spoke about gaining hope. It is necessary, he pointed out, “where life is wounded, in betrayed expectations, in broken dreams, in failures that break the heart.” Before the ceremony, the Holy Father opened the holy door of the basilica with a symbolic sign and announced the Holy Year in the church every 25 years.
Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in the Vatican Basilica on Christmas Eve, marking the beginning of the Holy Year (also called Jubilee) in the Church. It will be held under the slogan “Pilgrims of Hope”. In a symbolic act, the Pope opened the gates in a wheelchair. After that, he was the first to cross the threshold of the Holy Door.
This is what the holy door looks like when PopePAP/EPA/REMO CASILLI / POOL solemnly opened it.
This ceremony was attended by representatives of other Christian churches who also passed through the Holy Door. 54 believers from 27 countries of all continents also did this.
About 25,000 believers gathered in St. Peter's Square, watched the swearing-in ceremony on big screens, and then attended the mass. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also took part in the event. Emergency security measures have been put in place in the Vatican area. They were additionally revived after the recent terrorist attack in Magdeburg, Germany.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the celebrations at the VaticanPAP/EPA/ALBERTO PIZZOLI/POOL
Thousands of believers gathered in front of the Vatican basilica PAP/EPA/ETTORE FERRARI
The first Holy Year was proclaimed in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. At first it took place every 100 years, then every 50 years, and from the 15th century it was announced every 25 years. The great celebration of the year 2000 on Christmas Eve was inaugurated by John Paul 2 a quarter of a century ago.
“Pilgrims of light in the darkness of the world”. Pope's invitation
After this solemn celebration, Francis presided over a midnight mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Referring to the slogan “Pilgrims of Hope”, he said that we must find the lost hope in the suffering Earth, shaken by wars and violence. He called on the believers to be “pilgrims of light in the darkness of the world”. – The divine light was shining in the darkness of the world. The glory of heaven appeared on Earth, in the childhood of Farzand, he said in his silence. He emphasized that “hope is not dead, hope is alive and will cover our lives forever, hope does not disappoint.”
He said that the opening of the Holy Year is “the night when the doors of hope are opened to the world”. – This is the night when God tells everyone: there is hope for you too, – he added. – In order to receive this gift, they invite us to go on a journey with the shepherd of Bethlehem, – he explained.
As the pope noted, it is a sign of “rediscovering lost hope, renewing it within ourselves, planting it in the wastelands of our time and our world.”
Francis in St. Peter's Basilica PAP/EPA/REMO CASILLI / POOL
What is hope?
Francis remembered the wars, the killing of children and the bombing of schools. He assessed that the Christian hope “is not the happy ending that we should expect”. Instead, he noted that it is “the promise of the Lord that must be received here and now, in this land of sorrows and groans.”
– That's why he asks us not to procrastinate, not to get caught up in habits, not to persist in mediocrity and laziness. He asks of us that – as St. Augustine used to say – we are angry at what is wrong and have the courage to change it. It requires us to become pilgrims in search of truth, tireless dreamers, he continued.
Holy Mosque in St. Peter's Basilica PAP/EPA/FABIO FRUSTACI
We should live with the dream of a new world, where peace and justice reign, said the holy father.
He emphasized that the hope born on this night “does not tolerate the laziness of those who lead an established lifestyle and the vanity of those who rest in their comfort” and “the false caution of those who do not gain recognition.” doesn't”. difficulties due to the fear of embarrassment and reckoning by those who are “what they think only of themselves”.
This hope, he said, requires courage and is not compatible with the peaceful life of those who “do not protest against the evil and injustice committed at the expense of poor people.”
“In Betrayed Expectations, In Broken Dreams, In Failures”
As Francis said, the Holy Year calls for spiritual renewal and a commitment to transform the world so that it can truly become a time of hope and celebration.
– Let the land of our mother, which has been destroyed by the logic of profit, be like this. Let it be the same for the poorest countries burdened with unjust debts. Let it be the same for all those who are prisoners of old and new captivity, he called.
He stated that the Holy Year is a gift for all and an obligation to bring hope where it has been lost. – Where life is wounded, in betrayed expectations, in broken dreams, in failures that break the heart, – he added.
Hope is also needed – he claimed – “in the fatigue of those who can no longer cope, in the bitter loneliness of those who feel defeated, in the suffering that eats the soul, in the long and empty days of the prisoners, in the homes the poverty of the poor, in places that have been violated by war and violence. – The holy year gives hope to everyone, he emphasized.
On Christmas Day, the Pope delivers the Christmas message at noon and gives the Urbi et Orbi blessing, that is, to the city and the world.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/REMO CASILLI / PAUL
