EEXXTTRRAAOORRDDIINNAARRYY JJUUBBIILLEEEE ooff MMEERRCCYY The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy 2015-2016 Pope Francis, who is moved by the human, social and cultural issues of our times, wished to give the City of Rome and the Universal Church a special and extraordinary Holy Year of Grace, Mercy and Peace. The “Misericordiae VulTus” Bull of indicTion The Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, which continues to be the programmatic outline for the pontificate of Pope Francis, offers a meaningful expression of the very essence of the Extraordinary Jubilee which was announced on 11 April 2015: “The Church has an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of its own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy” (EG 24). It is with this desire in mind that we should re-read the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, Misericordiae Vultus, in which Pope Fran- cis details the aims of the Holy Year. As we know, the two dates already marked out are 8 December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the day of the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and 20 November 2016, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, which will conclude the Holy Year. Between these two dates a calendar of celebrations will see many different events take place. The Pope wants this Jubilee to be experienced in Rome as well as in local Churches; this brings partic- ular attention to the life of the individual Churches and their needs, so that initiatives are not just additions to the calendar but rather complementary. In the same way, the Bull of Indiction includes other features that clearly make this a “one-off”. Already the nod to Mercy breaks with tradition. The history of the Jubilees is characterised by timeframes of 50 and 25 years. The two extraordinary Jubilees respected the anniversary of Christ’s redemption (1933, 1983). This, however, is a Jubilee with a theme. Faith will be the main focus and aims to recall the Church to its primary mission of always being a symbol and witness of Mercy in all aspects of pastoral life. Pope Francis’ call to Judaism and Islamism is also significant, in order to bring the theme of Mercy to the road towards dialogue and an overcoming of the difficulties that are part of the public domain. While not forgetting another original feature offered by the Missionaries of Mercy. Pope Francis will give them the Ash Wednesday mandate with a celebration at St. Peter’s. The Missionaries must be patient priests, able to understand the limits of man, but ready to express the afflatus of the Good Shepherd in their preaching and in confession. In this context, we do not plan to linger on questions of a general nature but prefer to provide more details about the organisation of the Holy Year. The JuBilee logo We will be starting from the logo, which represents a theological summa of Mercy and the motto that accompanies it. In the motto, taken from Luke 6:36, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful, we are asked 1 to be merciful following the example of the Lord who asks us not to judge and not to condemn but to forgive and give love and forgiveness without measure (Lk 6:37-38). The image is dear to the early Church, as it shows the Son having taken upon his shoulders the lost soul, demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation, culminating in redemption. The logo has been designed so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love that has the power to change one’s life. And one particular feature cannot be missed: while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ. So in Christ, every person discovers his or her own humanity and the future that lies ahead. The scene is set inside a mandorla, another important shape in ancient and medieval iconography, recalling the coexistence of the two natures, divine and human, in Christ. The three concentric ovals, which become progressively lighter in colour towards the outside, sug- gest the movement of Christ who carries man out of the night of sin and death. On the other side, the depth of the darker colour also suggests the inscrutability of the love of the Father, who forgives all. The inTerneT siTe: www.iM.Va The official internet site of the Jubilee has been published: www.iubilaeumMisericordiae.va, also ac- cessible at www.im.va. The site is available in seven languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Polish. The website includes official information about the calendar of key public events, indications for participation in events with the Holy Father and all other official communications relating to the Jubilee. With this tool, the Dioceses will be able to receive information and pastoral sugges- tions, register to talk about their pilgrimage and communicate diocesan initiatives. Various social networks are linked to the website (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus and Flickr), providing updates about the initiatives of the Holy Father and allowing you to follow the most important events in real time. We are also considering the possibility of an app, to better integrate the information. We are convinced that the path of Mercy on which Pope Francis has set the Church for this journey of the Jubilee will be a moment of true grace for all Christians and a reawakening to the path of the new evan- gelization and pastoral conversion that the Pope has indicated. As Pope Francis writes: “In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: «Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old»” (MV 25). 2 The calendar The Calendar of celebrations is three-fold. On the one hand, there are events that will undoubtedly be attended by a great number of people. We wanted the first event, taking place from 19 to 21 January, to be dedicated to all those operating in the pilgrimage field. A sign to highlight the fact that the Holy Year is a real pilgrimage and should be experienced as such. We will ask the pilgrims to complete a section on foot, to prepare to pass through the Holy Door with the spirit of faith and devotion. To instruct those who operate in this sector to go beyond the tourism sphere is crucial and the fact that they themselves become pilgrims could be of great help. We considered it important to bring together the faithful who experience Mercy in a particular way. For this reason there will be a celebration on 3 April for all those who demonstrate the spirituality of Mercy (movements, associations, religious institutes). The world of charitable volunteering will, in turn, be cele- brated on 4 September. Voluntary work is a concrete sign of those who live the actions of Mercy in its various expressions and deserves its own celebration. In the same way, we have considered the world of Marian spirituality that will celebrate the Mother of Mercy on 9 October, while 24 April will see the young- sters, post-confirmation, called upon to declare their faith. Another event will be reserved to the deacons who, by vocation and ministry, are called upon to lead generosity in the life of Christian communities: their Jubilee will take place on 29 May. On the 160th an- niversary of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on 3 June, the Jubilee of Priests will be celebrated. 25 September will mark the Jubilee of the catechists who, with their commitment to spread the faith, support the life of Christian communities particularly in our parishes. On 12 June we will have the repeal for all those who are sick or disabled and those who take care of them with love and dedication. On 6 November we will celebrate the Jubilee of prisoners. This will not just take place in prisons, and we’re considering the possibility to allow some prisoners to have the chance to celebrate their very own Holy Year with Pope Francis at St. Peter’s. A second initiative will take place with Pope Francis making some symbolic gestures, traveling to some of the existential “peripheries” to demonstrates, in person, the closeness and attention paid to the poor, the suffering, the marginalised and all those in need of a sign of tenderness. These moments will have symbolic value, but we will ask bishops and priests to carry out the same gesture as the Pope in communion in their Dioceses so that everyone can receive a concrete sign of Mercy and proximity to the Church. As a “concrete sign” of the Pope’s generosity, which will remain as a memory of this Jubilee, an important gesture will be made in consideration of the needy, demonstrating Mercy through concrete, effective help. A third initiative is dedicated to the many pilgrims who will arrive in Rome as individuals rather than as part of an organisation. Certain churches in the historic centre will be identified where the pilgrims will be welcomed and can experience moments of prayer as they prepare to pass through the Holy Door with preparation that is more coherent with the spiritual event being celebrated.