«Rediscover the spirit of that time, rekindle dormant enthusiasm, and regain the desire to invest in hope». These are the words of the Archbishop-Prelate in the letter written for the Longo Jubilee Year, which began on 1 October 2022 and will end on 31 October 2023. The shrine of Pompeii has organized many events.
A Jubilee Year: the gift of the indulgence!
The 150th anniversary of Bartolo Longo’s arrival in Pompeii is being celebrated, and Pope Francis granted «a true ‘Longo Jubilee’», also linking an indulgence to it: during the Jubilee, in fact, «by visiting the Pontifical Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, the faithful will be able to obtain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions, and the sick and all those who are unable to participate physically will likewise be able to receive the gift of the plenary indulgence by offering their sufferings to the Lord or performing acts of piety» (Monsignor Tommaso Caputo, Archbishop-Prelate of Pompeii and Pontifical Delegate for the sanctuary).
“If you seek salvation, spread the Rosary”
Bartolo Longo was an apostle of the Rosary, a man devoted to Our Lady. It all began when, in the Arpaia area, he heard a voice whisper to him: «If you seek salvation, spread the Rosary. It is Mary’s promise. Whoever spreads the Rosary is saved!». And the prayer of the Rosary truly set the rhythm of his life and work.
A land coming back to life
Bartolo Longo’s arrival in Pompeii was significant not only for believers. Thanks to the Blessed, that land was also transformed socially, economically, and civilly. Inhabited mostly by a few farmers plagued by raids from bandits and malaria, after 1876, the year the foundation stone of the sanctuary was laid, it began to see the flourishing of institutions welcoming orphans and prisoners, a post and telegraph office, Via Sacra, workers’ homes, a railway station, a public fountain… Pompeii changed its appearance and came back to life.
From Pompeii, a message of peace and harmony among peoples
The archbishop urged people to «look to the example of the blessed man, here and now, in a time of serious difficulties, from the war in Ukraine to the complex emergence from the health crisis, from continuously increasing poverty, including in our country, to growing conflict that corrodes society… Our Marian City looks to the world to convey, in a difficult time, a message of peace and harmony among peoples».
A special time, this Jubilee, in which to rediscover the extraordinary figure of Blessed Bartolo Longo, who still has so much to say to people in our time.
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