Holy year 2025 opened: Hope and patience in the focus of the bishops!

Holy year 2025 opened: Hope and patience in the focus of the bishops!

Wien, Österreich - On December 24, 2024, Pope Francis officially proclaimed the Holy Year 2025, which is under the encouraging motto "pilgrim of hope". In order to emphasize the importance of this time, ceremonial opening services took place on Sunday in the Austrian cathedral churches, in which bishops - including the Viennese cardinal Christoph Schönborn - addressed hope and patience. Schönborn said: "Hope does not die because it goes beyond death". This imposed message encourages the believers to open the gates of their heart to God and fellow human beings, which embodies the deeper symbolism of the Holy Year, as kathpress.at reported.

In his speech, Schönborn also pointed out the immense importance of patience, which he described as "daily change in hope". "Without patience, no hope," he emphasized and combined these thoughts with the Christian idea of the family, where patience is particularly demanded and taught. Feldkirch Bishop Benno Elbs described the Holy Year as a worldwide movement of hope, in response to the forces of hatred and violence in today's world. These pilgrimages to Rome and in the anniversary churches of Austria offer believers the opportunity to receive indulgence through confession and spiritual conversations and to renew their own spirituality, such as kath-kirchen-kaernten.at explained in detail.

prayer series for the introduction

To the ceremonial attunement to the Holy Year, the Austrian Bishops' Conference invited the believers to pray a nine -day series of prayer - the "Novene for Peace". This started on December 29 and goes until January 6th. Bishop Glettler von Innsbruck explained that the novene is based on the message of Pope Francis and offers both a shorter and a more comprehensive version. The Holy Year, which is celebrated all over the world and only takes place every 25 years, also includes specifically selected jubilee churches in Austria, which are intended for special liturgical experiences and the reception of the indulgence.