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Pope Francis sent a letter the clergy and religious orders ministering in the Diocese of Rome, inviting them to open their facilities or vacant apartments to homeless as “tangible sign” of hope to the needy during the 2025 Jubilee year. This comes as the Diocese of Rome prepares to welcome millions of pilgrims for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee of Hope. Pope Francis has addressed this letter to the parish priests, clergy, religious orders and representatives of ecclesiastical entities present in the Eternal City calling on them to offer “tangible signs” of hope during the Jubilee year, through actions of charity and solidarity towards the poor and needy.
FULL TEXT - LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE JUBILEE TO PARISH PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS AND CLERGY
________________________________________
To the Superiors of Religious Orders
To the legal representatives of ecclesiastical entities
To parish priests
To the clergy
Saint John Lateran, 8 November 2024
Dearly beloved,
The Church is preparing to celebrate the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, which will be dedicated to hope. In the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, I invoked hope for all and asked everyone to be "tangible signs of hope for so many brothers and sisters who live in difficult conditions" (n. 10). Hope, in fact, is born from love and from feeling loved. It is the love of God that generates hope and the love of God passes through our love, as Blessed Don Pino Puglisi affirmed: "God always loves through someone".
The Church of Rome, through parishes, religious communities, associations, ecclesial movements and families, does so much to transmit the love of God, through concrete gestures of charity (often in silence), and to generate hope in people's lives: to each one I renew my deep thanks.
Thus the common good, at the basis of the social thought of the Church, summarizes in itself all the conditions that guarantee human dignity which, as I have repeatedly clarified, is embodied in three inviolable rights: land, home and work.
In view of the Jubilee, I have asked my Diocese to give a tangible sign of attention to housing problems so that, in addition to the welcome given to all the pilgrims who will flock, forms of protection are activated for those who do not have a home or who risk losing it. In this perspective, I would like all diocesan entities that own property to offer their contribution to stem the housing emergency with signs of charity and solidarity to generate hope in the thousands of people in the city of Rome who are in precarious housing conditions.
The institutions and administrations at various levels, together with associations and popular movements, are organizing themselves to strengthen the response of welcome and solidarity towards these brothers and sisters, working in collaboration between institutions and civil society, and the Church is called to contribute.
For this reason, I ask all ecclesial entities to make a courageous gesture of love for their neighbor by offering the spaces they have available, especially those who own accommodation facilities or free apartments. The people to be welcomed will be followed by the institutions and social services, while the associations and popular movements will provide personal services, care activities and relational goods that contribute in a fundamental way to making the welcome dignified and to building fraternity.
Those of you who are available to respond to this appeal may refer to the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina.
I thank you for your generosity and for all that you already do to transmit the love of God and generate hope in the lives of all and, in particular, of those who need it most.
I bless you from my heart, asking you to pray for me.
Fraternally
FRANCIS
FOR THE JUBILEE TO PARISH PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS AND CLERGY
________________________________________
To the Superiors of Religious Orders
To the legal representatives of ecclesiastical entities
To parish priests
To the clergy
Saint John Lateran, 8 November 2024
Dearly beloved,
The Church is preparing to celebrate the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, which will be dedicated to hope. In the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, I invoked hope for all and asked everyone to be "tangible signs of hope for so many brothers and sisters who live in difficult conditions" (n. 10). Hope, in fact, is born from love and from feeling loved. It is the love of God that generates hope and the love of God passes through our love, as Blessed Don Pino Puglisi affirmed: "God always loves through someone".
The Church of Rome, through parishes, religious communities, associations, ecclesial movements and families, does so much to transmit the love of God, through concrete gestures of charity (often in silence), and to generate hope in people's lives: to each one I renew my deep thanks.
Thus the common good, at the basis of the social thought of the Church, summarizes in itself all the conditions that guarantee human dignity which, as I have repeatedly clarified, is embodied in three inviolable rights: land, home and work.
In view of the Jubilee, I have asked my Diocese to give a tangible sign of attention to housing problems so that, in addition to the welcome given to all the pilgrims who will flock, forms of protection are activated for those who do not have a home or who risk losing it. In this perspective, I would like all diocesan entities that own property to offer their contribution to stem the housing emergency with signs of charity and solidarity to generate hope in the thousands of people in the city of Rome who are in precarious housing conditions.
The institutions and administrations at various levels, together with associations and popular movements, are organizing themselves to strengthen the response of welcome and solidarity towards these brothers and sisters, working in collaboration between institutions and civil society, and the Church is called to contribute.
For this reason, I ask all ecclesial entities to make a courageous gesture of love for their neighbor by offering the spaces they have available, especially those who own accommodation facilities or free apartments. The people to be welcomed will be followed by the institutions and social services, while the associations and popular movements will provide personal services, care activities and relational goods that contribute in a fundamental way to making the welcome dignified and to building fraternity.
Those of you who are available to respond to this appeal may refer to the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina.
I thank you for your generosity and for all that you already do to transmit the love of God and generate hope in the lives of all and, in particular, of those who need it most.
I bless you from my heart, asking you to pray for me.
Fraternally
FRANCIS
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