Welcome to the Year-End Celebration in San Pietro with the chanting of the First Vespers of Mary, Mother of God, and the traditional prayer of gratitude. Leading the ceremony is the Pope, who admires the challenging works undertaken in the capital for the Jubilee, hoping they will create an open environment for all pilgrims of hope, without distinction. Gratitude is expressed for the efforts of many men and women, as well as for the city’s mayor. The event culminates with a visit to the nativity scene in the square.
Antonella Palermo – Vatican City
“Grant us days of peace,” resonates the opening hymn of the Vespers. The chant to the Mother of Jesus fills the packed basilica. The soothing psalms. Presiding over the prayer and Te Deum is the Bishop of Rome, accompanied by 36 cardinals, 22 bishops, and 40 priests. Among the attendees in the front row at the conclusion of this civil year is the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. The Pope describes the year as “very demanding for the city” due to the numerous construction sites that have multiplied in preparation for the Jubilee, thanking the workers and the mayor. His sermon proposes a “wise reflection” to encourage giving meaning to all the work done. The horizon remains that of fraternity.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE SERMON HERE
Embracing Everyone in the Horizon of Fraternity
Observing that work always has value in itself, the Bishop of Rome reiterates one of the pillars of his Magisterium: he urges the city to embrace hospitality. He expresses his thanks to God, which he wishes to be collective, “because He allowed us to work so much”:
Rome is called to welcome everyone so that all may recognize themselves as children of God and brothers and sisters to each other.
Rome has become a construction site for hospitality
Referring to the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, the Pontiff points to the hope of universal fraternity as one of the interpretative paths of the motto chosen for the Holy Year.
It is beautiful to think that our City in recent months has become a construction site for this purpose, with this overall sense: preparing to welcome men and women from around the world, Catholics and Christians of other denominations, believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice, and peace, all pilgrims of hope and fraternity.
Gratitude to the Mayor of Rome
Off-the-cuff, Pope Francis adds a particular thank you to the mayor, whom he will bid farewell to affectionately at the end of the liturgy, showing both of them involved and delighted:
As we admire with gratitude the results of the work done in the city, we thank the work of many, many men and women who have done it and we thank the Lord Mayor for this work of advancing the city.
The Hope of a Fraternal World is not an Ideology
The Pope invokes the help of Mary and invites everyone to look within themselves to grow the construction site of conversion, changing “what is not human” into a commitment to brotherhood. It is not about using a rhetorical slogan, the Pope stresses, but about identifying a “rocky” foundation on which to build something “stable and enduring.” If one fully assumes sonship by recognizing God as the Father, then the feeling of being brothers and sisters emerges. Then the blessing, the request for forgiveness of sins, the plea for the Lord to grant “the strength to move forward, to move forward in our pilgrimage in the coming year.” And yet the emphasis:
The hope of a fraternal world is not an ideology, it is not an economic system, it is not technological progress. The hope of a fraternal world is Him, the incarnate Son.
Visit to the Nativity Scene in St. Peter’s Square
The Pontiff concludes the ritual in the basilica with the customary homage to the Baby Jesus. He is then escorted in a wheelchair to greet some of the participants and exits to visit the nativity scene from Grado set up in the square. Here too, he greets and blesses, caresses children, and gives rosaries. While the lights of the tree contribute to creating a festive and communal atmosphere.
Photogallery
Some images @Vatican Media
