News from the Church in Malta
Starting from the Holy Year of 1900, we retrace some key moments of the ceremonies for the opening of the Holy Door.
One of the symbolic images of every Jubilee is that of the Pontiff crossing the threshold of the Holy Door. This is a moment deeply rooted in the Middle Ages. The first pilgrim to cross the threshold is always the Bishop of Rome… Read more »
On Sunday, 29th December 2024, Archbishop Charles Scicluna will inaugurate the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Archdiocese of Malta under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”. This event follows the official opening of the Holy Year by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve, marked by the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where the Pope will then preside over Mass.
The celebration in the Church of Malta will begin at 5:00pm with a liturgical rite observed across the Catholic world… Read more »
File photo of Pope Francis in prayer (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
In his message for the 58th World Day of Peace marked on 1 January, Pope Francis reflects on the central theme of the upcoming Jubilee of Hope and reiterates his pressing appeal for debt forgiveness, reminding us that we are all “debtors” to God and one another.
Hope has been a constant theme in all of Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace messages… Read more »
Pope Francis has confirmed that Carlo Acutis will become the first Catholic saint from the millennial generation next April, during a weekend dedicated to teenagers as part of the Jubilee of 2025.
Acutis was born in London in 1991 to Italian parents who moved back to Italy shortly after his birth.
Known for his computer skills and religious faith, Acutis had created and maintained various websites, including a website that catalogued Eucharistic miracles and another which listed approved Marian apparitions, as well as the website of the Milan parish in which he lived… Read more »
Pope Francis writes that hope is a gift from God and a task that must be cultivated by all Christians, in the introduction to his new book, “Hope Is A Light In The Night,” which collects excerpts from various speeches by the Pope on the theological virtue of hope.
The Jubilee of 2025, a holy year that I wanted to dedicate to the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, is a propitious occasion to reflect on this fundamental and decisive Christian virtue – especially in times like the ones we are living, in which the third world war being fought “piecemeal” that is unfolding before our eyes can lead us to assume attitudes of gloomy discouragement and ill-concealed cynicism… Read more »
Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, the Vatican has launched a cartoon mascot unveiled Monday as the cheerful face of the Catholic Church’s upcoming holy year.
The mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the holy year.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s chief organizer for the jubilee, described the mascot as part of the Vatican’s goal to engage with “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”
The mascot will debut this week at the Lucca Comics and Games, Italy’s celebrated convention for all things comics, video games, and fantasy, where the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization will host a space dedicated to “Luce and Friends.”
It will be the first time that a Vatican dicastery participates in a comics convention… Read more »
The Church in Malta and Gozo are launching a Maltese version of the official hymn for the 2025 Jubilee with the theme, ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. Next year, the Church and Catholics from around the world are called to be a source of hope, unity and compassion within their communities.
The hymn was originally written in Italian by Prof. Pierangelo Sequeri, with the music composition by Maestro Francesco Meneghello, tackling themes such as creation, fraternity, the goodness of God and hope… Read more »
