PHOTOS: Cardinal Pizzaballa opens 2025 Jubilee Year in Holy Land

 

Jerusalem, Dec 30, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

The entry of the jubilee cross into the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth on Dec. 29 marked the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in the Holy Land.

The event, celebrated on the feast of the Holy Family, was led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. As the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, he inaugurated the holy year in his diocese, which includes Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Cyprus.

The entrance occurred after the proclamation of the Gospel of John (14:1-7), in which Jesus declares: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The patriarch crossed the threshold of the basilica carrying the jubilee cross, accompanied by Archbishop Moussa Hage, Maronite archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land, and Archbishop Youssef Matta, Greek Catholic (Melkite) archbishop of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth, and Galilee. Their presence underscored the unity among the diverse Catholic rites in the Holy Land.

A procession of 11 bishops and major superiors along with approximately 150 priests from across the diocese followed the patriarch into the basilica.

Heavy rain prevented the planned outdoor procession from the nearby Church of St. Joseph, where the Holy Family’s home is venerated, but the celebration proceeded with reverence inside the basilica.

The first part of the liturgy took place in the lower section of the basilica near the Grotto of the Annunciation, where the patriarch paused briefly in prayer.

Excerpts from the jubilee proclamation bull were read in English and Arabic, and the jubilee indulgence, which can be obtained by following the guidelines of the Apostolic Penitentiary, was announced to the people.

“The holy year is the favorable time to place ourselves before God,” the patriarch said. “Before him, we discover that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. During the jubilee, we have the privilege of receiving from God the complete remission of sins, but indulgence is not something we can buy; it is a grace obtained only through true conversion.”

The patriarch then sprinkled the congregation with holy water, a reminder of their baptismal commitment. The jubilee cross and the Gospel then led the procession to the upper part of the basilica, where the congregation of the faithful had gathered and the second part of the Eucharistic celebration took place.

The jubilee cross, especially created for the occasion by iconographer Maria Ruiz, was placed near the altar. The cross will remain in the basilica throughout the jubilee year as a sign of Christ’s presence and salvation.

Replicas of the jubilee cross will also be placed in the Nativity Basilica in Bethlehem, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarchate Church in Jerusalem, the baptism site in Jordan (al-Maghtas), and St. Mary of Grace Church in Larnaca, Cyprus, where a jubilee celebration was also held.

The ceremony concluded with the distribution of small reproductions of the jubilee cross to members of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL), which includes bishops, exarchs, and eparchs from across the region.

The jubilee year opening ceremony saw active participation from the faithful, who traveled from nearby towns as well as from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

In light of this, the Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land issued a special message to local Christians encouraging them to embark on pilgrimages to the jubilee sites in the region. These sacred places, deeply rooted in the faith and history of the Holy Land, are often overlooked by local believers.

The Latin Patriarchate has emphasized the importance of reviving pilgrimages to these holy sites, particularly given the current decrease in international pilgrims. The initiative aims to sustain the rich traditions and spiritual heritage of the Holy Land while fostering a renewed connection among local Christians.

Parishes, associations, and faith groups are being mobilized to participate in this effort, ensuring that the jubilee year becomes an opportunity for the faithful to deepen their faith and rediscover the profound significance of the holy places.

“In order to live the experience of the jubilee in its fullness, as an experience of reconciliation and indulgence … we Christians of the Holy Land are offered a pilgrimage to three special places. Throughout the year, let us try to be ourselves pilgrims to these places, as a community, as families, and also in a personal way,” the message from the ordinaries of the Holy Land reads.

In his homily, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa focused on the virtue of hope, which lies at the heart of the jubilee year. This virtue is particularly significant in the context of the Holy Land, a region long marked by conflict and, for the past 15 months, enduring its longest modern-day war.

It is a virtue “that seems to be most affected at this difficult time in the life of the world, because of the wars, hatred, and, in general, so much violence around us,” the patriarch observed.

“We really need a jubilee year,” the patriarch emphasized. “We are all prisoners of this war and its aftermath in one way or another. We are imprisoned, trapped in our fears, which prevent us from having trusting views and, therefore, from having hope in others or in the future.”

“We truly need a jubilee year so that God can cancel our debts, lift the unbearable burden of our sins and fears from our shoulders and hearts, and bring light back into our eyes,” he continued. “For this is the meaning of the indulgence we can obtain this year: to receive forgiveness from God so that he may reopen our hearts again to trust and hope. We need this spiritual renewal that will restore confidence in God’s work in our homes and communities, bringing with it the hope that one day we may attain the peace we all desire.”