THE HOLY DOOR OF MERCY

As pilgrims to Rome, The Rome Experience Class of 2016 will enjoy the extraordinary privilege of experiencing the grace of the Jubilee of Mercy and passing through the Holy Door of Mercy.

“This Extraordinary Year is itself a gift of grace. To pass through the Holy Door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them. It is he who seeks us! It is he who comes to encounter us! This will be a year in which we grow ever more convinced of God’s mercy. How much wrong we do to God and his grace when we speak of sins being punished by his judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by his mercy (cf. Saint Augustine, De Praedestinatione Sanctorum, 12, 24)! But that is the truth. We have to put mercy before judgment, and in any event God’s judgement will always be in the light of his mercy. In passing through the Holy Door, then, may we feel thatwe ourselves are part of this mystery of love, of tenderness. Let us set aside all fear and dread, for these do not befit men and women who are loved. Instead, let us experience the joy of encountering that grace which transforms all things.”

POPE FRANCIS
Homily for the Opening of Jubilee of Mercy | December 8, 2015

To learn more about the indulgences granted during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, especially for pilgrims to Rome:

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
ACCORDING TO WHICH AN INDULGENCE IS GRANTED TO THE FAITHFUL
ON THE OCCASION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY