Pope urges diocese of Rome to host young pilgrims during jubilee

ROME – Pope Francis has written a letter to families, parishes and religious communities in the Diocese of Rome urging them to host young pilgrims during events for youth and adolescents during the upcoming Jubilee of Hope.

In his letter, signed Dec. 11 and addressed to Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar of Rome, the pope said that the 2025 jubilee year “is rapidly approaching and our diocese is preparing for the great event.”

“The Holy Year will see the presence in Rome of many pilgrims from every part of the earth,” he said, and pointed specifically to the April 25-27, 2025, Jubilee for Adolescents and the July 28-August 3, 2025, Jubilee for Young People.

Pope Francis last month announced plans to canonize two popular young saints-in-the-making during those events.

Blessed Carlo Acutis, the so-called “techie teen” known for his Eucharistic devotion and affinity for computers, will be canonized a saint during the Jubilee of Adolescents in April, while the mountaineer and outdoorsman Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, known for his social activism and love of the poor, will be canonized during the Jubilee for Young People.

Francis in his letter noted that the two events are “awaited and desired by many young people from all countries of the world.”

“The meeting I will have with them will be a great sign of hope for everyone,” he said, saying, “Young people carry in their hearts the richness of faith of their churches and communities, and the commitment to building a world of peace and solidarity.”

He asked the families, parishes and religious communities of Rome to open their doors to host young people who come to Rome for the events, “offering them a sign of friendship and participation in their joy.”

To hold the Jubilee for Young People during the hottest months of the summer, when most Romans are vacationing at the beach or in the mountains, he said, “certainly requires extra generosity on your part.”

However, he insisted that “much greater than the commitment will be the gift that you will receive from the encounter with the enthusiasm and the witness of these young people.”

This is especially true for families who have young children or teenagers, as they “can experience how enriching the bond of friendship is that will be established between their children and the young guests.”

To this end, the pope quoted the biblical passage from Hebrews 13:2, saying, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Pope Francis noted that the jubilee year is being organized by the section for fundamental questions of evangelization in the world in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, and that the Diocese of Rome has also established a special secretariat for the jubilee, and an office for the jubilees for adolescents and young people.

“Certain of your generosity and availability, I thank you and I bless you from the heart, entrusting you to the maternal protection of the Salus Populi Romani,” he said, invoking Rome’s most famed Marian icon.

According to a statement from the Vicariate of Rome, the pope’s letter will be read aloud at every Mass in parishes throughout Rome on Sunday, Dec. 15, which marks the third Sunday of Advent and is less than two weeks from the inauguration of the jubilee.

Pope Francis will officially inaugurate the jubilee, which holds the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” on Dec. 24, 2024, when he will open the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica and kick off over a year of pilgrimage and special events.

He will formally close the jubilee on Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, in 2026, providing Catholics and pilgrims over a year to visit Rome and take advantage of the special graces attached to a jubilee year.

The first-ever “Holy Year” was instituted by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 and was initially celebrated every 100 years. Then, following biblical tradition, it was marked every 50 years, and it was finally decided by Pope Paul II in 1490 to observe the jubilee year every 25 years, so that each person could experience one in his or her lifetime.

Jubilees, designed to be a time of conversion and increased emphasis on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins, are marked by the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Holy Doors, present in each of the four papal basilicas in Rome, are destination points for pilgrims who travel to Rome during the Jubilee and who pass through seeking special graces and outpourings of God’s mercy.

The last Ordinary Jubilee was the Great Jubilee of 2000, celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

Some 35 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, which the city is preparing for with a series of ambitious renovation projects that may or may not be finished in time for the influx.

In the Vicariate of Rome’s statement, Reina said the jubilees for adolescents and young people will be “a special occasion for our diocese, a moment of grace and renewed commitment in the faith.”

Those who wish to welcome young pilgrims for the events, he said, can write to the diocese through the email giubileo.giovani@diocesidiroma.it to offer their availability.

“Every act of welcome is a sign of love and hope and can be a true testimony of faith for those who come to our territory in search of a fraternal embrace,” he said.

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