Welcome to the Vatican News blog, where we bring you the latest updates and events happening in the Vatican!
From March 28 to 30, the sixth major Jubilee event will take place, bringing together Missionaries of Mercy from all over the world, accompanied by their families and collaborators. Pope Francis is expected to offer them a written message since he still is recovering and will not be able to attend.
The United States, Italy, Poland, Brazil, Spain, France, Mexico, Germany, Slovakia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Colombia, and India, are among the countries from which some 500 Missionaries of Mercy are traveling to the Vatican.
Starting on Friday, March 28, until Sunday, they will experience their Jubilee, the sixth of the major events scheduled for the Holy Year dedicated to hope.
Pope Francis, who has returned to the Casa Santa Marta after more than a month of hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, will not be able to attend, but will send a written message.
The number of Missionaries of Mercy, whose special ministry was instituted by the Pope during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, with the Bull of Indiction in 2015, is steadily increasing.
Today, there are 1,258 priests worldwide who have been appointed.
These Missionaries, “a sign of the Church’s maternal care for the People of God” (Misericordiae Vultus, n. 18), have been given the special authority to forgive even sins reserved to the Apostolic See.
The Jubilee of the Missionaries of Mercy will begin at 10 AM on Friday, March 28, with a prayer in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, marking the opening of the Fourth World Meeting of Missionaries.
The international conference, organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization, and held every two years, will focus on the theme “Forgiveness as a Source of Hope” and will be divided into two formative sessions.
The meeting will continue at 4 PM in the center of Rome with the celebration of the 12th edition of “24 Hours for the Lord” at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, reserved for the Missionaries.
On Saturday, March 29, the Missionaries will have the opportunity to take part in their pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica between 9 and 11 AM.
The Jubilee event will conclude on Sunday, March 30, with the celebration of Mass, presided over by Archbishop Fisichella, at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle at 10 AM.
In the afternoon, for the Missionaries and anyone who wishes to participate, the fifth of the Holy Year Concerts will take place as part of the “Jubilee is Culture” series: a free symphonic concert, “Missa Papae Francisci,” in memory of world-renowned Italian musician Ennio Morricone.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting event! 
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