Pope Francis has granted the request of the Archdiocese of Cebu to declare a “Special Jubilee Year” along with the attached “plenary indulgences” to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the country.
The pontiff, through a decree, granted the request made by Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu to also impart to the Christian faithful participating in the yearlong jubilee celebration the pope’s apostolic blessing.
The celebrations of the anniversary of the arrival of Christianity will start on April 4 and will end on April 22, 2022.
Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese Cebu explained that an “indulgence” is “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.”
In an announcement, the archdiocese said that “indulgences” are granted to the faithful under the usual conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
The Archdiocese of Cebu will launch the festivities through a liturgical rite, which includes the opening the Holy Door of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
The archdiocese said similar celebrations will also be replicated in eight other churches from the the oldest and farthest parishes of the archdiocese.
A series of jubilee celebrations in the archdiocesan and parish levels will also be organized and will involve those who are “socially and spiritually marginalized,” and those in the “peripheries of society.”
