Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, has opened the Holy Year of the Catholic Church in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday evening.
In a solemn ceremony on Christmas Eve, the 88-year-old pontiff opened the Holy Door, which is otherwise walled up from the inside, and pass through it.
“Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world. Tonight, God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you.
“If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever.
“Christian hope is not a “happy ending” which we passively await, but rather, a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighs.
“Christian hope, while inviting us to wait patiently for the Kingdom to grow and spread, also requires of us, even now, to be bold, responsible and compassionate, in our anticipation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise,” the Pope stated.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Catholic Church normally celebrates a Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee Year, every 25 years.
According to Catholic belief, believers can gain forgiveness of their sins through prayer and penance during a Holy Year.
This also includes a pilgrimage to Rome and passing through Holy Doors in the Eternal City.
Catholics can obtain a special grace known as a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment for sin if requirements are met.
More than 30 million pilgrims and visitors are expected in the Italian capital during the Catholic event, with some estimates as high as 45 million
Francis will then celebrate the traditional Christmas mass, ringing in the Vatican’s Christmas festivities.
The pontiff is expected to use the services to speak out forcefully against war and violence and remember the suffering of the people.
He recently called for a Christmas truce in the face of the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
In Bethlehem, traditionally the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the festivities are expected to be rather subdued this year due to the Gaza war.
The procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and the midnight mass in Bethlehem are to take place as usual.
However, festive decorations in the small town in the West Bank and the lighting of a Christmas tree in front of the Church of the Nativity are to be avoided.
Lagos pilgrims arrive safely in Jordan
The Lagos State Pilgrims, accompanied by officials from the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), have arrived safely in Amman, Jordan’s capital city.
The pilgrims, led by the NCPC Executive Secretary, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, departed from Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Sunday, December 22, via Air Anka flight JAV3102.
Upon arrival in Jordan on Monday, December 23, at 7 am local time, the pilgrims were warmly welcomed with festive fanfare by their Jordanian hosts, led by Tabar Tours’ General Manager, Ms. Shada.
Shada expressed her delight in hosting the Lagos contingent, highlighting the significance of their visit as the first batch of pilgrims to kick-start this year’s exercise.
The Board Secretary of the Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mrs. Florence Yetunde Gbafe shared her excitement about the successful trip despite initial obstacles. She advised the pilgrims to conduct themselves with decorum and to pray for Nigeria, Israel, and the Middle East.
The pilgrims will spend three days in Jordan before proceeding to Israel and returning to Jordan to depart for Nigeria on January 1, 2025.