St. Peter’s Basilica will receive Saint Pio of Pietrelcina’s remains, which will be exposed for veneration from February 8-14. According to a joint press release of the Archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo and of the Capuchin Minor Brothers, the opportunity for prayer is planned in the context of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, called by Pope Francis. The Jubilee Year will begin Dec. 8, 2015, and will end Nov. 20, 2016.
Events and celebrations have been organized for the whole Year, among them the Jubilee of the “Padre Pio Prayer Groups,” which will include audiences with the Holy Father.
In a letter written by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, addressed to Archbishop Michele Castoro of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, he indicates that “the Holy Father has expressed his earnest desire that the remains of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina be exposed in Saint Peter’s Basilica on February 10, Ash Wednesday of the forthcoming Extraordinary Holy Year, the day in which he will send Missionaries of Mercy to the whole world, giving them the mandate to preach and confess, to be a living sign of how the Father receives those who seek forgiveness.”
The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evanglization is responsible for the organization of the Jubilee Year events.
Archbishop Fisichella also noted that “the presence of Saint Pio’s remains will be a precious sign for all missionaries and priests, who will find strength and support for their mission in his admirable example of tireless confessor, welcoming and patient, authentic witness of the Father’s Mercy.”
