This afternoon, after the meeting with the inmates, the Holy Father, Pope Francis went to the Cathedral of Isernia where he greeted a group of the sick who were waiting there.
Leaving the Cathedral, the Pope blessed a statue of Saint John the Evangelist which the diocese donated as a gift for the reopening of the Cathedral of Smyrna and a crown for the statue of the Madonna of Peace in the Diocesan Shrine of Fragnete.
At 6:15pm, in the square outside the Cathedral of Isernia, the Holy Father met with citizens and inaugurated the Celestinian Jubilee Year. In fact, it was in Isernia, eight hundred years ago, that the birth of Pietro del Morrone took place. Pietro del Morrone was elected Pope on July 5, 1294 and took the name of Celestine V. He was canonized in 1313.
After a few words of introduction and greeting, spoken by His Excellency, Camillo Cibotti, Bishop of Isernia-Venafro, Pope Francis addressed the citizens who had gathered to greet him.
Dopo il saluto introduttivo di S.E. Mons. Camillo Cibotti, Vescovo di Isernia-Venafro, Papa Francesco ha pronunciato il discorso che riportiamo di seguito:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for your warm welcome! I want to thank His Excellency, Camillo Cibotti, the new Bishop of Isernia, and his predecessor, His Excellency, Salvatore Visco; the Mayor, the distinguished Authorities and all those who have prepared this visit. This is the final meeting of the day, and it is taking place in a very symbolic location: the Cathedral Square. The square is the place where people meet, and the Cathedral is the place where we meet God, where we listen to His word, where we learn how to live as brothers, citizens and brothers. In Christianity, there is no opposition between the sacred and the profane, in this sense, we are all citizens and brothers.
There is a thought that comes to mind when I think of the heritage of Saint Celestine V. He, like Saint Francis, had a strong sense of the mercy of God, and of the truth that God's mercy renews the world.
Pietro del Morrone, like Francis of Assisi, knew the society of his time very well, with its great poverty. Both of them were very close to people. Both had the same compassion as Jesus did toward so many people who were tired and oppressed; but they did not limit themselves to only providing good advice or pious consolation. They was among the first to make a choice to go against the tide, they chose to confide themselves to the Providence of the Father, not only through personal asceticism, but as a prophetic witness of paternity and fraternity, which is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It always strikes me that out of their great compassion for people, these saints felt the need to say such great things to people, the greatest gift: the mercy of the Father, forgiveness: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. In these words of the Our Father, there is an entire plan for life, based on mercy. Mercy, indulgence, the forgiveness of sins: these are not just devotions, they are intimate words, spiritually comforting, a kind of oil that helps us to be more gentle, better. This is the profession of a new world: mercy and the profession of a new world, in which the goods of the earth and of work are equitably distributed and where no one is deprived of necessities, because solidarity and sharing are the concrete consequences of fraternity. These two Saints gave us this example. They knew that, as clerics - one was a deacon and the other was a bishop, the Bishop of Rome - as clerics, both of them provided examples of poverty, of mercy and of total self surrender.
In this, we see a new sense of citizenship, that we can sense very strongly here, in this square in front of the Cathedral, where the memory of Saint Pietro del Morrone, Celstine V, speaks. This the true sense of the current Jubilee Year, of this Celstinian jubilee, which at this moment, I declare to be begun, and during which the doors of divine mercy will be open for all. This is not an escape, an escape from reality or from our problems, it is a response that comes from the gospel: love has the power to purify the conscience, the strength to renew relationships, the strength to plan for a different economy which focuses on people, work, family, rather than money and profits.
We all know that this is not the way of the world; we are not dreamers, illusionists, nor do we want to create an oasis apart from the world. We believe rather that this way is the right way for all people, the way that truly leads to justice and peace. But we also know that we are sinners, that we are the first to be tempted not to follow this way and to conform to the mentality of the world, to the mentality of power, to the mentality of wealth. However, we confide ourselves to the mercy of God, and we beg him to help us with his grace, the fruit of conversion and the work of mercy. These two things: conversion and works of mercy. This is the driving force of this year, of this Celestinian jubilee year. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy always accompany you and sustain you on the journey.
At the conclusion of this encounter, the Holy Father travelled by car to the fire hall and from there, around 7:30pm, he departed in a helicopter bound for Rome.
Leaving the Cathedral, the Pope blessed a statue of Saint John the Evangelist which the diocese donated as a gift for the reopening of the Cathedral of Smyrna and a crown for the statue of the Madonna of Peace in the Diocesan Shrine of Fragnete.
At 6:15pm, in the square outside the Cathedral of Isernia, the Holy Father met with citizens and inaugurated the Celestinian Jubilee Year. In fact, it was in Isernia, eight hundred years ago, that the birth of Pietro del Morrone took place. Pietro del Morrone was elected Pope on July 5, 1294 and took the name of Celestine V. He was canonized in 1313.
After a few words of introduction and greeting, spoken by His Excellency, Camillo Cibotti, Bishop of Isernia-Venafro, Pope Francis addressed the citizens who had gathered to greet him.
Dopo il saluto introduttivo di S.E. Mons. Camillo Cibotti, Vescovo di Isernia-Venafro, Papa Francesco ha pronunciato il discorso che riportiamo di seguito:
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the gathering with the citizens of Isernia
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for your warm welcome! I want to thank His Excellency, Camillo Cibotti, the new Bishop of Isernia, and his predecessor, His Excellency, Salvatore Visco; the Mayor, the distinguished Authorities and all those who have prepared this visit. This is the final meeting of the day, and it is taking place in a very symbolic location: the Cathedral Square. The square is the place where people meet, and the Cathedral is the place where we meet God, where we listen to His word, where we learn how to live as brothers, citizens and brothers. In Christianity, there is no opposition between the sacred and the profane, in this sense, we are all citizens and brothers.
There is a thought that comes to mind when I think of the heritage of Saint Celestine V. He, like Saint Francis, had a strong sense of the mercy of God, and of the truth that God's mercy renews the world.
Pietro del Morrone, like Francis of Assisi, knew the society of his time very well, with its great poverty. Both of them were very close to people. Both had the same compassion as Jesus did toward so many people who were tired and oppressed; but they did not limit themselves to only providing good advice or pious consolation. They was among the first to make a choice to go against the tide, they chose to confide themselves to the Providence of the Father, not only through personal asceticism, but as a prophetic witness of paternity and fraternity, which is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It always strikes me that out of their great compassion for people, these saints felt the need to say such great things to people, the greatest gift: the mercy of the Father, forgiveness: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. In these words of the Our Father, there is an entire plan for life, based on mercy. Mercy, indulgence, the forgiveness of sins: these are not just devotions, they are intimate words, spiritually comforting, a kind of oil that helps us to be more gentle, better. This is the profession of a new world: mercy and the profession of a new world, in which the goods of the earth and of work are equitably distributed and where no one is deprived of necessities, because solidarity and sharing are the concrete consequences of fraternity. These two Saints gave us this example. They knew that, as clerics - one was a deacon and the other was a bishop, the Bishop of Rome - as clerics, both of them provided examples of poverty, of mercy and of total self surrender.
In this, we see a new sense of citizenship, that we can sense very strongly here, in this square in front of the Cathedral, where the memory of Saint Pietro del Morrone, Celstine V, speaks. This the true sense of the current Jubilee Year, of this Celstinian jubilee, which at this moment, I declare to be begun, and during which the doors of divine mercy will be open for all. This is not an escape, an escape from reality or from our problems, it is a response that comes from the gospel: love has the power to purify the conscience, the strength to renew relationships, the strength to plan for a different economy which focuses on people, work, family, rather than money and profits.
We all know that this is not the way of the world; we are not dreamers, illusionists, nor do we want to create an oasis apart from the world. We believe rather that this way is the right way for all people, the way that truly leads to justice and peace. But we also know that we are sinners, that we are the first to be tempted not to follow this way and to conform to the mentality of the world, to the mentality of power, to the mentality of wealth. However, we confide ourselves to the mercy of God, and we beg him to help us with his grace, the fruit of conversion and the work of mercy. These two things: conversion and works of mercy. This is the driving force of this year, of this Celestinian jubilee year. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy always accompany you and sustain you on the journey.
At the conclusion of this encounter, the Holy Father travelled by car to the fire hall and from there, around 7:30pm, he departed in a helicopter bound for Rome.
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