Holy Father Extends Loreto Jubilee

An additional 12 months, until December 2021

Pope Francis has extended the Loreto Jubilee, associated with the centenary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Loreto as Patron Saint of Aviation, until 10 December 2021. The announcement was made on Friday, 14 August, by the Papal Delegate Archbishop Fabio Dal Cin following the recitation of the Angelus during the vigil for the Solemnity of the Assumption. The Prelate expressed to the Pontiff   “heartfelt gratitude, my own, of the entire military and civilian air force, of all the faithful, the people of Loreto, pilgrims and devotees of the Holy House, for this great gift. In this difficult time for humanity, the Holy Mother Church gives us another twelve months  to start anew from Christ, allowing ourselves to be accompanied by Mary, a sign for all of consolation and certain hope”. The Jubilee, which officially began with the opening of the Holy Door on 8 December 2019 in the presence of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin — and was originally to conclude on 10 December 2020 —, thus renews for an additional 12 months the experience of grace and forgiveness for all the faithful who will visit the Papal Shrine. The gratitude also extends to the many chapels in civilian airports and military air force bases throughout the world. “Many times this year”,  Archbishop Dal Cin recalled, “the Holy Father has manifested his closeness to the Shrine of the Holy House: with his visit on 25 March 2019, during which he signed the Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit”; with the concession and the extension of the Loreto Jubilee; with the inscription of 10 December on the Roman calendar for the facultative memorial of the  Blessed Virgin of Loreto; and lastly with the insertion of three new invocations into the Litany of Loreto:  Mater Misericordiae, Mater Spei and Solacium Migrantium”.

The following is a translation of the text of the Decree by which Pope Francis’ Apostolic Penitentiary, “on special mandate”, extends  the Jubilee.

Prot. n. 580/20/1

DECREE

The Apostolic Penitentiary, having received the request of 21 June 2020 presented by the Most Excellent and Reverend Fabio Dal Cin, Archbishop Prelate of the Holy House of Lauretana, Papal Delegate to the Shrine of Loreto and the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, by special mandate of His Holiness Pope Francis, with the present Decree, extends until 10 December 2021, in favour of the faithful, each and every spiritual benefit already ritually granted in accordance with the Decree (Prot. n. 271/19/1) of 1 November 2019 for the entire Jubilee Year, announced from 8 December 2019 to 10 December 2020, but unfortunately not celebrated in its entirety due to the “Covid-19” epidemic.

 The Jubilee granted for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of when the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto was constituted by Pope Benedict xv as Principal Patroness to God of all air travellers.

Certainly, the faithful, by the Church’s generous postponement, will draw good intentions and spiritual vigour to be  implemented in life according to the law of the Gospel, in hierarchical communion and filial devotion to the Supreme Pontiff, the visible foundation of the Catholic Church, and to their Bishop.

Notwithstanding any disposition to the contrary.

Given in Rome, from the seat of the Apostolic Penitentiary, on 16 July 2020, memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Carmel.

Cardinal Mauro Piacenza
Major Penitentiary

Krzysztof Nykiel
Regent

L’Osservatore Romano
21 August 2020, page 1