By Vatican News staff reporter
At the end of Sunday’s celebrations in L’Aquila, Pope Francis presided over the rite of inauguration of the Holy Gate of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Collemaggio, marking the 728th Grace of the Celestines.
During the Mass in the city of L’Aquila in central Italy on the occasion of the “Celestine Grace”, Pope Francis recalls the power of God to achieve everything, along with the…
The “Perdonanza Celestiniana” (Celestine Forgiveness) is a historical-religious event that takes place every year in L’Aquila between August 28 and 29, accompanied by other celebrations in the last week of August.
The celebration was established by Pope Celestine V in 1294 with the publication of the Papal Bull.Feasts among the saints“, also known as Bolla del Perdono (Tower of Forgiveness), in which he gave plenary indulgence to whoever, confessing and communicating, visited the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio from Vespers of August 28th to August 29th.
The event is a harbinger of the worldwide Jubilee of the Catholic Church established by Pope Boniface VIII in the 1300s.
Pope Francis travels to the central Italian town of L’Aquila, 13 years after the devastating earthquake that killed 309 people, and encourages residents to continue rebuilding their lives…
As part of the rite, Pope Francis struck the Holy Door three times with an olive wood rod and the doors opened for everyone to process inside.
He then spent time in prayer in front of the tomb of Pope Celestine V before going out and greeting the faithful inside and outside. The Pope then returned to Rome with the events concluding around 12:30.
Before opening the Holy Door, Pope Francis offered the following prayer:
“Holy Father, the God of our Fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, rich in mercy and great in love, who bestows on the Church this time of repentance and forgiveness to have the joy of inner renewal work of the Holy Spirit, and always moving forward on your way, remaining a sign of salvation and redemption in the midst of the world, ask to respond to our hopes: open to us completely the doors of your mercy, so that one day the doors of your heavenly abode may be open to us, where Jesus your Son, and the first of the human race has gone before that we may all together sing to you forever. Grant, we pray, that all who cross this threshold with renewed commitment and steadfast faith may obtain the salvation that comes from you and leads us to you.”
