Pilgrims of Hope

On May 9, Pope Francis presided over the moving reading and delivery of the Bull of Indiction for the 2025 Jubilee entitled Spes non confundit. The event took place before the Second Vespers prayer on the Solemnity of the Ascension, in front of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is scheduled to be opened December 24, 2024.

Among the numerous Cardinals, Archbishops, and clergy, the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Cardinal Fernando Filoni was also present.

In the Bull, Pope Francis writes, “May the light of Christian hope illumine every man and woman, as a message of God’s love addressed to all! And may the Church bear faithful witness to this message in every part of the world!” He continues by inviting us “to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”

The Order embraces this message completely with its particular focus on the Holy Land. On May 13, in the decree outlining the norms for granting indulgences during the Jubilee published by the Major Penitentiary, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis indicates the specific pilgrimage destinations. “The faithful, pilgrims of hope, will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence granted by the Holy Father if they undertake a pious pilgrimage: to any sacred Jubilee site [...], in Rome [...], in the Holy Land, by visiting at least one of the three basilicas: the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, or the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth; in other ecclesiastical areas [...].”

Thus, the connection with the Holy Land in the upcoming 2025 Jubilee remains at the heart of the entire Universal Church. For the Knights and Dames of the Order, in addition to the open invitation to experience the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which is a central and transformative experience, there will also be the opportunity to come together for the Jubilee pilgrimage in Rome in October 2025.

(May 2024)