At 11:30am today, in the John Paul II Hall at the offices of the Holy See Press Centre, there was a press conference held to present the details of the Jubilee of the sick and the disabled which is taking place from 10-12 June.
Information was provided during the press conference by His Excellency, Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization; His Excellency, José Octavio Ruiz Arenas, Secretary of the same Pontifical Council; and Monsignor Graham Bell, Under-secretary of the same Dicastery.
We have been celebrating some particularly significant events during the Jubilee. In the past weeks, we have had the Jubilee of Deacons (27-29 May) and the Jubilee of Priests (1-3 June). On 2 June, Pope Francis gave three meditations in the three Basilicas of Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls before a crowd of more than 6,000 priests, speaking about priesthood as a ministry of mercy. The world was truly present here; priests came to Rome from every corner of the world: from Togo, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Japan, Canada, Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, England, Mexico, Italy and many others. This was an event that will truly remain in the memory of may priests as a moment of fraternity and reflection, of prayer and of sharing.
According to the data to date, the number of pilgrims who have come to Rome for the various jubilee moments that have taken place at the 4 Basilicas - in addition to the Holy Door at the Shrine of Divine Love - is 9,100,935. Surely, this is a significant number for the first six months of the jubilee, which confirms the great level of attention that the faithful throughout the world are paying, and their desire to come to Rome to meet Pope Francis, despite the fact that there are many Doors of Mercy throughout the world.
Now we are here to present the upcoming Jubilee of the Sick and Disabled which will begin on Friday 10 June and continue on Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 June with an agenda that is very structured and, in many ways, and many opportunities to bring the condition of the sick and those with disabilities into focus against a public opinion that is sometimes unfairly reluctant to face such realities. The Jubilee will begin as always with a pilgrimage toward the Holy Door which will begin at Castel Sant'Angelo and travel along the Via della Conciliazione. This path has proven to be very positive and significant for pilgrims who have endured many abusive experiences in order to be able to pray and to come prepared before the Holy Door.
On Friday, 10 June at 5:00pm, in the church of Saint Mary in Vallicella, there will be a moment of catechesis offered for all, and in particular for the deaf and the blind, conducted by a priest who is well known throughout the world, especially in China, the United Kingdom and in South Africa, for his total commitment to disabilities. I'm speaking about Father Ciryl Axelrod, a Redemptorist who is deaf and blind, whose catecheses will be available in International Sign Language (ISL) and in Italian Sign Language (LIS) as well as Tactile Sign Language.
The day of Saturday 11 June will be characterized by two particular moments. The first, with a religious significance, will involve meetings at 10:00am and at 11:00am for sick pilgrims and for persons with disabilities. Within a few of the historic churches, they will have a catechesis offered in various languages and according to different modes entitled Mercy, a font of joy. In particular, for Italians in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, there will be a symbolic catechesis (with dramatizations based on the gospel passage and a few simple gestures which will accompany the prayer of the participants) which will permit, in particular to persons with intellectual disabilities, the possibility to participate. These sessions will be led by His Excellency, Gérard Daucourt (Bishop emeritus of Nanterre) and at Santa Maria in Vallicella with His Excellency, Luigi Marrucci (Bishop of Civitavecchia); for English-speaking visitors in San Salvatore in Lauro with a catechesis by His Excellency, Arthur Roche (Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) and for Spanish-speaking pilgrims with a catechesis by His Excellency, José Octavio Ruiz Arenas (Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
The second moment will be more entertaining and will take place in the gardens outside Castel Sant'Angelo, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm: the welcoming festival entitled Beyond the limit. It will be preceded and opened by a performance by the Soldiers and Carabinieri Band. Guiding the event will be two personalities who are familiar to the public: Rudy Zerbi and Annalisa Minetti. A number of sick and disabled people will perform as will a number of professional singers and dancers such as: Alessandra Amoroso, Silvan, Simona Atzori, Bebe Vio, Setfano Oradei and Nicole Orlando.
Also, do not forget the participation of the Coro Amoris Laetitia boys choir, the Coro Mani Bianche (whose members are all mentally disabled and who come from the Testaccio neighbourhood and from Terra dei Fuochi), the Coro Mani Colorate, the Coro ci hai dato un Segno (made up of deaf adults from Pescara) and finally the Chicco Sband (from the l'Arche community, which Pope Francis visited on 13 May of this year, during one of the Mercy Fridays) and the singing of two songs from the musical Notre Dame de Paris in Italian Sign Language. In the garden, beginning at 2:00pm, there will be seven Tents of mercy where some pastoral workers and representatives of associations will explain their roles and their experiences of evangelization for and with the sick and with disabled persons: UNITALSI, the non-profit organization for the blind, the Office of Health Workers from the Italian Bishops Conference and the Office for the catechesis of disabled persons, the Centre for Suffering Volunteers, the Faith and Light non-profit organization, the l'Arche community, the John XXIII community and one stand that will assemble the hopes of the Saint Egidio Community. The friends' trattoria where people with intellectual disabilities work, a place that is managed by some persons with autism spectrum disorder from Trento and La Locanda dei Girasoli (a restaurant where adolescents with Down Syndrome work, together with some Italian realities and some from abroad in the field of evangelization for and with the deaf.
On Sunday, June 12, at 10:30am, Pope Francis will preside at a concelebrated Eucharistic celebration which can be followed live through streaming, complete with sign language. During the celebration, there will be a few facets that are worthy of some explanation. First, the liturgy and the readings will include some people with disabilities, in particular, among those with assigned roles there will be some young people with Downs Synodrome and mental disabilities; there will be a deaf deacon from Germany; the first reading will be proclaimed by a disabled person from Spain; the second, in English, will be read in Braille by a blind girl. All the readings will be translated by deaf persons from various countries, into International Sign Language; while the prayers of the faithful, in various languages will be offered by sick persons and those with disabilities from various countries. In addition, for the first time in Saint Peter's Square, the gospel will also be dramatized by a group of persons with mental disabilities in order to allow the text to be understood above all by pilgrims with mental and intellectual disabilities. Along with the members of the Sistine Chapel Choir, at the time of communion, members of the Amoris Laetitia Choir along with other choirs, will sing and the words of the hymn will be communicated in sign language by disabled persons who will sign the song Bread of Heaven.
Before the celebration, at 9:00am, pilgrims who are present in Saint Peter's Square will have an opportunity to view the interview with Pope Francis entitled: When we are weak, we are strong, conducted by Rosario Carello. It will be characterized by testimonials from Enrico Petrillo, the husband of Chiara Corbella, who died at the age of only 28 years due to cancer that was discovered during pregnancy; by Maria Grazia Fiore and her family including two disabled sons; and by Father Cyril Axelrod, who will conduct the catechesis tomorrow. There will also be a testimonial given by a couple affected by a degenerative neurological disease and greetings from Jean Vanier, the founder of the L'Arche and Faith and Light communities, who has sent his contribution by video. Along with the testimonials, there will also be songs and readings proclaimed by sick persons and those with disabilities.
During the Mass, the icon of Our Lady, Help of the Sick will be displayed. It is usually under the care of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Campo Marzio in Rome. This precious sixteenth-century painting by an unknown artist was donated to the chuch of the Maddalena by a noble Roman in 1619, after which his prayers for healing, offered in front of the painting were miraculously answered. From then on, this icon has been venerated and invoked as help for all people who are afflicted with illness.
Special mention should be made of the sponsorship provided by the Med Tag Foundation which we have welcomed with particular enthusiasm and which we are certain will contribute significantly to this jubilee moment. Beginning Friday, 10 June, in the area around each of the four main Basilicae, there will be four Health Points which will offer free, above all to the many homeless who are present in the city, specialized health assistance. About 350 volunteers including religious, Red Cross nurses, military and health care workers and specialists in general medicine, dermatology, pediatrics and gynecology will be available to more than 700 homeless persons. Vaccines against pneumonia will also be available. As you know, it is one of the most serious medical challenges for the homeless. Women will also have the opportunity for PAP tests. We are grateful to the doctors and to all the personnel who, in a great spirit of dedication, have placed themselves at he service of this work of mercy, under the direction of Professor Raffaele Landolfi from the Policlinico Gemelli. Special thanks should also be given to Science for Life - the MedTag Foundation, the Catholic Medical Network and MedTag for having helped to organize this endeavour which was proposed by Professor Sergio Chimenti at the beginning of the Jubilee. He died a few months ago.
During the month of June, there will be two Jubilee audiences: on June 18 and June 30 in order to accommodate the large number of pilgrims who wish to be received by the Holy Father and to hear his catechesis on mercy. Other initiatives will follow, continuing the great rhythm that has continued for some months now, and we will continue to follow with careful attention all the events that the dioceses throughout the world are accomplishing, with the participation of great numbers of people, making present to all people the mercy of God, so that all may be called to experience his mercy and have an opportunity to do so. As Pope Francis has had occasion to say recently: The gospel of mercy remains an open book, where we continue to write the signs of the disciples of Jesus, concrete gestures of love which are the best witnesses of mercy. We are all called to become living writers of the gospel, bearers of the Good News to every man and woman today. We can do this by putting into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which are the Christian's style of life. Using these simple but powerful gestures, which are sometimes even invisible, we can visit those who are in need, sharing with them the tenderness and consolation of God. It is in this spirit that we have reached the mid-point of the Jubilee year and we will continue toward the goal of November 20.
Information was provided during the press conference by His Excellency, Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization; His Excellency, José Octavio Ruiz Arenas, Secretary of the same Pontifical Council; and Monsignor Graham Bell, Under-secretary of the same Dicastery.
Intervention of His Excellency, Rino Fisichella
President of the Pontifical Council
for the Promotion of the New Evangelization
We have been celebrating some particularly significant events during the Jubilee. In the past weeks, we have had the Jubilee of Deacons (27-29 May) and the Jubilee of Priests (1-3 June). On 2 June, Pope Francis gave three meditations in the three Basilicas of Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls before a crowd of more than 6,000 priests, speaking about priesthood as a ministry of mercy. The world was truly present here; priests came to Rome from every corner of the world: from Togo, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Japan, Canada, Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, England, Mexico, Italy and many others. This was an event that will truly remain in the memory of may priests as a moment of fraternity and reflection, of prayer and of sharing.
According to the data to date, the number of pilgrims who have come to Rome for the various jubilee moments that have taken place at the 4 Basilicas - in addition to the Holy Door at the Shrine of Divine Love - is 9,100,935. Surely, this is a significant number for the first six months of the jubilee, which confirms the great level of attention that the faithful throughout the world are paying, and their desire to come to Rome to meet Pope Francis, despite the fact that there are many Doors of Mercy throughout the world.
Now we are here to present the upcoming Jubilee of the Sick and Disabled which will begin on Friday 10 June and continue on Saturday 11 June and Sunday 12 June with an agenda that is very structured and, in many ways, and many opportunities to bring the condition of the sick and those with disabilities into focus against a public opinion that is sometimes unfairly reluctant to face such realities. The Jubilee will begin as always with a pilgrimage toward the Holy Door which will begin at Castel Sant'Angelo and travel along the Via della Conciliazione. This path has proven to be very positive and significant for pilgrims who have endured many abusive experiences in order to be able to pray and to come prepared before the Holy Door.
On Friday, 10 June at 5:00pm, in the church of Saint Mary in Vallicella, there will be a moment of catechesis offered for all, and in particular for the deaf and the blind, conducted by a priest who is well known throughout the world, especially in China, the United Kingdom and in South Africa, for his total commitment to disabilities. I'm speaking about Father Ciryl Axelrod, a Redemptorist who is deaf and blind, whose catecheses will be available in International Sign Language (ISL) and in Italian Sign Language (LIS) as well as Tactile Sign Language.
The day of Saturday 11 June will be characterized by two particular moments. The first, with a religious significance, will involve meetings at 10:00am and at 11:00am for sick pilgrims and for persons with disabilities. Within a few of the historic churches, they will have a catechesis offered in various languages and according to different modes entitled Mercy, a font of joy. In particular, for Italians in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, there will be a symbolic catechesis (with dramatizations based on the gospel passage and a few simple gestures which will accompany the prayer of the participants) which will permit, in particular to persons with intellectual disabilities, the possibility to participate. These sessions will be led by His Excellency, Gérard Daucourt (Bishop emeritus of Nanterre) and at Santa Maria in Vallicella with His Excellency, Luigi Marrucci (Bishop of Civitavecchia); for English-speaking visitors in San Salvatore in Lauro with a catechesis by His Excellency, Arthur Roche (Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) and for Spanish-speaking pilgrims with a catechesis by His Excellency, José Octavio Ruiz Arenas (Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
The second moment will be more entertaining and will take place in the gardens outside Castel Sant'Angelo, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm: the welcoming festival entitled Beyond the limit. It will be preceded and opened by a performance by the Soldiers and Carabinieri Band. Guiding the event will be two personalities who are familiar to the public: Rudy Zerbi and Annalisa Minetti. A number of sick and disabled people will perform as will a number of professional singers and dancers such as: Alessandra Amoroso, Silvan, Simona Atzori, Bebe Vio, Setfano Oradei and Nicole Orlando.
Also, do not forget the participation of the Coro Amoris Laetitia boys choir, the Coro Mani Bianche (whose members are all mentally disabled and who come from the Testaccio neighbourhood and from Terra dei Fuochi), the Coro Mani Colorate, the Coro ci hai dato un Segno (made up of deaf adults from Pescara) and finally the Chicco Sband (from the l'Arche community, which Pope Francis visited on 13 May of this year, during one of the Mercy Fridays) and the singing of two songs from the musical Notre Dame de Paris in Italian Sign Language. In the garden, beginning at 2:00pm, there will be seven Tents of mercy where some pastoral workers and representatives of associations will explain their roles and their experiences of evangelization for and with the sick and with disabled persons: UNITALSI, the non-profit organization for the blind, the Office of Health Workers from the Italian Bishops Conference and the Office for the catechesis of disabled persons, the Centre for Suffering Volunteers, the Faith and Light non-profit organization, the l'Arche community, the John XXIII community and one stand that will assemble the hopes of the Saint Egidio Community. The friends' trattoria where people with intellectual disabilities work, a place that is managed by some persons with autism spectrum disorder from Trento and La Locanda dei Girasoli (a restaurant where adolescents with Down Syndrome work, together with some Italian realities and some from abroad in the field of evangelization for and with the deaf.
On Sunday, June 12, at 10:30am, Pope Francis will preside at a concelebrated Eucharistic celebration which can be followed live through streaming, complete with sign language. During the celebration, there will be a few facets that are worthy of some explanation. First, the liturgy and the readings will include some people with disabilities, in particular, among those with assigned roles there will be some young people with Downs Synodrome and mental disabilities; there will be a deaf deacon from Germany; the first reading will be proclaimed by a disabled person from Spain; the second, in English, will be read in Braille by a blind girl. All the readings will be translated by deaf persons from various countries, into International Sign Language; while the prayers of the faithful, in various languages will be offered by sick persons and those with disabilities from various countries. In addition, for the first time in Saint Peter's Square, the gospel will also be dramatized by a group of persons with mental disabilities in order to allow the text to be understood above all by pilgrims with mental and intellectual disabilities. Along with the members of the Sistine Chapel Choir, at the time of communion, members of the Amoris Laetitia Choir along with other choirs, will sing and the words of the hymn will be communicated in sign language by disabled persons who will sign the song Bread of Heaven.
Before the celebration, at 9:00am, pilgrims who are present in Saint Peter's Square will have an opportunity to view the interview with Pope Francis entitled: When we are weak, we are strong, conducted by Rosario Carello. It will be characterized by testimonials from Enrico Petrillo, the husband of Chiara Corbella, who died at the age of only 28 years due to cancer that was discovered during pregnancy; by Maria Grazia Fiore and her family including two disabled sons; and by Father Cyril Axelrod, who will conduct the catechesis tomorrow. There will also be a testimonial given by a couple affected by a degenerative neurological disease and greetings from Jean Vanier, the founder of the L'Arche and Faith and Light communities, who has sent his contribution by video. Along with the testimonials, there will also be songs and readings proclaimed by sick persons and those with disabilities.
During the Mass, the icon of Our Lady, Help of the Sick will be displayed. It is usually under the care of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Campo Marzio in Rome. This precious sixteenth-century painting by an unknown artist was donated to the chuch of the Maddalena by a noble Roman in 1619, after which his prayers for healing, offered in front of the painting were miraculously answered. From then on, this icon has been venerated and invoked as help for all people who are afflicted with illness.
Special mention should be made of the sponsorship provided by the Med Tag Foundation which we have welcomed with particular enthusiasm and which we are certain will contribute significantly to this jubilee moment. Beginning Friday, 10 June, in the area around each of the four main Basilicae, there will be four Health Points which will offer free, above all to the many homeless who are present in the city, specialized health assistance. About 350 volunteers including religious, Red Cross nurses, military and health care workers and specialists in general medicine, dermatology, pediatrics and gynecology will be available to more than 700 homeless persons. Vaccines against pneumonia will also be available. As you know, it is one of the most serious medical challenges for the homeless. Women will also have the opportunity for PAP tests. We are grateful to the doctors and to all the personnel who, in a great spirit of dedication, have placed themselves at he service of this work of mercy, under the direction of Professor Raffaele Landolfi from the Policlinico Gemelli. Special thanks should also be given to Science for Life - the MedTag Foundation, the Catholic Medical Network and MedTag for having helped to organize this endeavour which was proposed by Professor Sergio Chimenti at the beginning of the Jubilee. He died a few months ago.
During the month of June, there will be two Jubilee audiences: on June 18 and June 30 in order to accommodate the large number of pilgrims who wish to be received by the Holy Father and to hear his catechesis on mercy. Other initiatives will follow, continuing the great rhythm that has continued for some months now, and we will continue to follow with careful attention all the events that the dioceses throughout the world are accomplishing, with the participation of great numbers of people, making present to all people the mercy of God, so that all may be called to experience his mercy and have an opportunity to do so. As Pope Francis has had occasion to say recently: The gospel of mercy remains an open book, where we continue to write the signs of the disciples of Jesus, concrete gestures of love which are the best witnesses of mercy. We are all called to become living writers of the gospel, bearers of the Good News to every man and woman today. We can do this by putting into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which are the Christian's style of life. Using these simple but powerful gestures, which are sometimes even invisible, we can visit those who are in need, sharing with them the tenderness and consolation of God. It is in this spirit that we have reached the mid-point of the Jubilee year and we will continue toward the goal of November 20.
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