More than 30,000 military personnel, police, and veterans will celebrate a two-day Jubilee event in the Vatican dedicated to recognizing their service of bringing hope to people globally.
By Vatican News
More than 30,000 people will flock to Rome to participate in the second major Jubilee event of the Holy Year. Two days are dedicated to the armed forces and police, municipal police, security operators, veterans, military associations, military academies, chaplaincies, and military ordinariates.
On February 8-9, members of these groups will make a pilgrimage to the Holy Door, enjoy a concert, and end with Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
A reminder of peace
In a press conference hosted by the Holy See Press Office, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, outlined the schedule for the two-day event.
Delegations from some 100 countries—including Colombia, Australia, Ukraine, the United States, and Indonesia—will start the event on February 8 with a pilgrimage to the Holy Door and time for confession.
In the afternoon, the Piazza di Popolo in Rome will be filled with music as a ceremonial brass band welcomes the groups. On Sunday, despite the announcement that Pope Francis is suffering from bronchitis, Archbishop Fisichella stated the Pope is still scheduled to preside at Mass.
The Pro-Prefect reflected that this Jubilee of the Armed Forces “first and foremost calls for a reminder of peace,” especially for regions of the world that today are facing times of violence.
He recalled the words of Pope Francis in the Jubilee Bull of Indiction that the Holy Year is a reminder “that those who become peacemakers can be called children of God. The demands of peace call on everyone and require us to pursue concrete projects.”
Armed forces and Jubilee of Hope
These concrete projects take different forms and serve the needs of people in various parts of the world. One such project is Operation Irini.
Lieutenant Colonel Ozren Lukenda of the Croatian Navy described its mission as to “contribute and support the peace process in Libya.” Twenty-three European Union member states are involved in this military maritime security measure to stop illegal arms trafficking.
Serving as a Staff Officer in Operation Irini, the Lieutenant Colonel explained how this Jubilee Year of Hope ties into the peacekeeping aspect of military operations. “It brings hope to all those affected by atrocities because their wish is peace and nothing but peace,” he pointed out.
“Without hope, in any form, we would have nothing,” Lieutenant Colonel Lukenda highlighted, stressing that bringing hope to those living in places where hope seems lost is a “noble cause.”
Special Holy Doors for the Military
Military men and women who do not have the opportunity to travel to Rome and make the pilgrimage to the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica are not left behind.
Fr. Saverio Finotti, Rector of the School of Seminarians for Chaplains in the military city of Cecchignola in Rome, pointed out chapels within foreign missions have become “places of pilgrimage, to convey the message that the Lord invites everyone to conversion.”
This way the Jubilee of the Armed Forces will extend far beyond Rome and include men and women serving the cause of peace and hope in every corner of the world.
