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The Bishop reminds those present that although the Jubilee Year ends, the Sanctuary of the True Cross is still a place of pilgrimage in which the Plenary Indulgences can be profited if a group pilgrimage takes place.
"For the glory and exaltation of Our Lord Jesus Christ;
for testimony of the merciful love of God to humanity;
for the increase of faith and Christian life in the faithful people;
We declare closed and give thanks to God for the celebration of the third Perpetual Jubilee Year in the Basilica-Sanctuary of the Most Holy and Vera Cruz de Caravaca ", with these words of Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE ), ended the Jubilee Year of Vera Cruz de Caravaca yesterday.
At 12:00 noon, the last Jubilee Mass of this year of grace began in the Minor Basilica-Sanctuary of the True Cross, which began with the greeting of the Bishop of Cartagena to Cardinal Blázquez, thanking him for his visit.
"The Lignum Crucis is, for all caravaqueños and for the entire Diocese, the most excellent sign of God's merciful love, which has called us to a true evangelizing task," he said.
Although the total figures of people who have come to the Minor Basilica of the Vera Cruz Sanctuary are still unknown, Bishop Lorca stressed that the thousands of pilgrims who have arrived in this Jubilee Year in Caravaca have been "invited to walk and to trust , to listen to God and to open the eyes of the heart, to feel in the daily life the heartbeat of those around them, especially those most in need ".
The Bishop of Cartagena explained, in addition, that the proceeds of the Jubilee Alms-about 100,000 euros-will be destined half to the Saint Peter's Pole, which will be delivered to the Pope in February, and the other half to Proyecto Hombre in the region of Northwest Murcia: "in this area they are doing a great job to free, especially young people, from any of the addictions that enslave them.
During the homily, Cardinal Blázquez expressed his joy at participating in this "feast of faith and veneration of the Lignum Crucis", explaining to those present that the cross was no longer considered an instrument of martyrdom to become the Tree of Life because in it Jesus Christ died, "is the concentration of his surrender to the Father and to us men ... It is the supreme symbol of his love".
The archbishop of Valladolid insisted that the Jubilee Year of Caravaca is an "opportunity to receive the inexhaustible mercy of God," receive the grace of forgiveness and strengthen reconciliation among men.
"Caravaca de la Cruz is a pilgrimage destination, where Christians, with good evangelical instinct, seek the crucified Lord and are encouraged in their follow-up," said the president of the CEE, explaining, in addition, that the Cross is a sign of communion with Jesus Christ and bond of peace between men because "on the Cross, Jesus has killed hate, forgiving and giving us the strength to forgive".
More than half a thousand faithful participated in the celebration, among which was the Minister of Culture, Ãñigo Méndez de Vigo;
the president of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras;
the government delegate, Francisco Bernabé;
and the mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Moreno.
At the time of the thanksgiving, the elder brother of the Brotherhood of Vera Cruz, Elisa Giménez-Girón, took the floor to thank the Bishop, all the institutions, volunteers, public administrations and companies that have joined forces during this year: "I want to thank you, Lord, for having allowed us to be the necessary instrument of faith to welcome all the pilgrims who with Christian faith have come to this Basilica seeking the gift of the holy jubilee ... Happy and satisfied, with the feeling of the duty fulfilled, we closed this Jubilee Year 2017. Thank you very much to all.
Long live the Holy Cross! "
The Jubilee Year ends and a new stage begins
In 1998, Pope St. John Paul II granted the Sanctuary of the True Cross the privilege of a Jubilee Year in perpetuity, around the devotion to the Sacred Relic, to celebrate every seven years;
the first took place in 2003. A privilege that allows Plenary Indulgences to continue to be profited if they go on pilgrimage to the Basilica Sanctuary on any given day of any year.
"Whoever wants to can come to the Caravaca Cross and meet the love and mercy of God, because Caravaca is still a place of pilgrimage," Archbishop Lorca recalled.
Source: Obispado de Cartagena
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