INQUISITR.COM / Health & Lifestyle

Pope Francis, Extraordinary Jubilee & The Global Holy Year Of Mercy

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 20:13 PST, Jun 12, 2015

Pope Francis recently announced that from December 8 this year right through to November 20, 2016 the Vatican will be celebrating a special jubilee in the form of a global holy year of mercy.

The pope has symbolically called on the entire global Roman Catholic church to reflect his message of compassion and pardon.

There has been much talk in the media on the views and statements made by Pope Francis since he became the leader of the Catholic church. The pope has even had meetings with the likes of Vladimir Putin, where he tried to encourage peace in Ukraine. According to the Inquisitr, this turned into rather an awkward moment, especially as Putin was 70 minutes late to their meeting.

However, Pope Francis continues in his efforts to make a difference in the world, saying he has “thought often about how the church can make more evident its mission of being a witness of mercy.”

“I am convinced that the whole church — that has much need to receive mercy because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time.

“Let us not forget that God pardons and God pardons always. Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness.”

According to the National Catholic Reporter, Pope Francis continued by saying he wants the Catholic church to “live the upcoming holy year in the light of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Luke.

“‘Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.'”

Since the year 1300, the Catholic church has occasionally called for special jubilee years, and every now and then the papacy calls for what are known as extraordinary jubilee years.

Pope John Paul II called the last jubilee year for 2000, which was known as the “Great Jubilee.” Previous to that, the last jubilee year was called in 1983 in order to celebrate 1,950 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The latest Vatican jubilee will start on the Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2015 and will close on the day of the feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016.

According to a recent blog, the jubilee year will start on December 8 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican along with the opening of other holy doors of basilicas globally. Devotees and faithful people from all over the world will be welcome to visit and receive God’s forgiveness.

By initiating this extraordinary jubilee of reconciliation and mercy, Pope Francis will continue to promote the cause of peace in this troubled world, where political and religious tensions are causing chaos. For visitors to Rome and the Vatican, it will be an experience of a lifetime.

[Image: In the public domain by Benhur Arcayan]

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