ASIA/CHINA - The Jubilee of Hope has also begun in Shanghai

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Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) - With a solemn procession behind the Cross, the public reading of the papal Bull proclaiming the Jubilee, and the community recitation of the Jubilee prayer, the Chinese Catholic communities have begun their Jubilee journey. From Shanghai to Beijing, numerous faithful, together with priests and bishops, celebrated this significant moment on Saturday, December 28, to allow the participation of priests and bishops who the following day, December 29, were to celebrate the Sunday liturgies in their respective dioceses and parishes.
The opening celebrations of the Jubilee were attended not only by the faithful, but also by a good number of curious people, especially young people.
In Shanghai, Bishop Joseph Shen Bin presided over the diocesan opening of the Jubilee. At 10 a.m., priests and nuns gathered in the Episcopal Palace to meditate on the Word of God. A nun read some passages from “Spes non confundit”, the papal Bull proclaiming the Jubilee. Afterwards, a procession led by a large cross set off towards the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
The Bishop and all those present prostrated themselves together before the Cross, all were blessed with the sprinkling of holy water, and prayers and supplications were recited asking the Lord to protect his children. The door was then opened and the procession entered the Cathedral.
During his homily, Bishop Shen Bin encouraged everyone to “rekindle the flame of hope in our hearts with the strength that the Word of God gives us, and to transmit this hope to everyone with concrete actions, to be builders of peace, people who bring hope to our brothers and sisters in difficulty, to the sick and the poor, to the young, to the displaced, to the lonely and the elderly.”
Following the homily, the six churches and shrines of the diocese where jubilee pilgrimages can be made to receive the plenary indulgence were announced, including the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan. Then, the entire assembly solemnly recited the Jubilee prayer, performed an act of communal penance (as required to obtain the plenary indulgence linked to the Jubilee) and received the bishop's blessing.
"In the Jubilee Year 2025 - Shen Bin recalled - we will all be able to experience God's love and mercy more abundantly, keeping the flame of hope alive, zealously practice works of charity and mercy." (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 29/12/2024)