Pope prepares to mark the “Pardon of Assisi”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis this week embarks on a short pilgrimage to mark the 8th centenary of the “Pardon of Assisi,” a feast which commemorates the establishment of a plenary indulgence for all who pass through the chapel where the Franciscan order was founded.
During his Aug. 4 pilgrimage, the Pope will visit the Porziuncola – a small chapel, located inside the larger Basilica of St Mary of the Angels.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Fr Michael Anthony Perry, who will meet with the Holy Father during the pilgrimage, explained the meaning behind this feast.
Listen to Blandine Hugonnet’s interview with Fr Michael Perry, OFM:
“It was his own discovery of God forgiving him for his own sins,” he said. “And as he began to forgive himself and allowed God to forgive him, he found himself wanting to forgive others, and wanting to extend that to all people, even to his enemies.”
This message, which echoes out “from the Porziuncola,” Fr Perry said, invites “everyone to stop, take a moment, listen to God saying: I forgive you. I love you. Come back to me.”
The Franciscan priest added that while the significance of the message remains unchanged between the time of St Francis and today, what has changed is “our ability to heal or not to listen.”