On the 1st August, at Our Lady of the Angels -Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Minister General OFM, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, presided over the Eucharist with which the Pardon of Assisi officially opened, which until midnight on the 2nd August will allow the faithful to gain the plenary indulgence in all parish and Franciscan churches throughout the world.
Br. Massimo, who has just returned from the Holy Land and the Democratic Republic of Congo, "two lands wounded by war", he himself said, starting from the Canticle of the Creatures he focused on the close relationship between God, creation, reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. "Forgiveness is a voluntary decision that frees one from resentment and resentment. But Francis goes further: it is the main way to recompose that original harmony willed by the Creator, as a way of integral reconciliation," said the Minister General, continuing: "The Pardon of Assisi reminds us that it is not enough to confess individual sins; We are called to recognize our responsibility in the fractures that wound our common home."
Not only Francis as a model, but also Mary: "His Magnificat has strong reflections of justice: he overthrew the powerful from their thrones, he exalted the humble; he has filled the hungry with goods. Her motherhood embraces all of creation," emphasized Fr. Massimo, recalling how the Pardon of Assisi is "the invitation to live that integral peace that Francis dreamed of, where reconciliation with God is intertwined with fraternal reconciliation and care for our common home."
In the afternoon, the 43rd Franciscan March arrived at the Porziuncola, this year focused on the theme "You are our certain hope". Unlike previous years, when the March arrived at Our Lady of the Angels-Santa Maria degli Angeli on the 2nd August this year the arrival has been brought forward to the 1st August to allow pilgrims to reach Rome and thus participate in the great Jubilee of Youth.
The celebrations of the Pardon continue until the 4th August.
Download the programme with the complete list of events (Italian)
Read the homily of Br. Massimo Fusarelli (Italian)
How to obtain a plenary indulgence
©️photo: Provincia serafica di San Francesco
