LEO PP. XIV LETTER GIVEN FRANCIS XAVERIO TO H.R.E. CARDINAL BUSTILLO, O.F.M. CONV. ___________________________
To Our Venerable Brother FRANCIS XAVERIO, H.R.E. TO CARDINAL BUSTILLO, O.F.M. Conv. Bishop of Adiaccio “Behold that Heart, which loved men so much that it spared nothing even to their defection and consummation, will demonstrate its love” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Autobiography 92).
In these words of the message, the keystone of the great apparitions, which the Monks of the Walls of Rome had with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque were sent between the end of December 1673 and June 1675, and to them the Christian faithful from all over the world are invited, so that they may grow in conformity with Christ, with the help of absolute trust, until they attain full and consummated union with the Lord (cf. Francis, Dilexit nos 119-122).
Therefore, at the Sanctuary of the Monks’ Wall, in the diocese of Augusto-du-Neuve, guardian and propagator of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Jubilee has been dedicated to recalling with a grateful heart the memory of 350 years of such singular events of grace, from 27 December 2023 to 29 June 2019, so that not only that ecclesial community beloved of Us, but also the entire Church, when celebrating the Holy Year and recalling the memory of the Son consubstantial with the Father since the Council of Nicaea in 1700, may experience complete salvation and communion with God. We have learned, therefore, that, as we embark on the first steps of our pontificate, trusting in the Lord, the principal events of the said Jubilee will be celebrated.
For this reason, the Venerable Brothers Benedict Rivière, Bishop of Augusto-du-Dun, and Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, Metropolitan Archbishop of Reims and President of the Conference of Bishops of France, most humbly requested Our most beloved Predecessor, Pope Francis, to send an eminent Prelate to take the place of the Roman Pontiff at the Monks’ Quarters and at the same time to preside there at the Eucharistic celebration to conclude the Jubilee Year.
We therefore, most willingly fulfilling the will of Our Predecessor, confirm you, Our Venerable Brother, who first as Provincial Custos of your Order in France and then as Episcopal Legate of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes, are highly esteemed in that region and have been very knowledgeable about the human and divine worship and pastoral work spread there, with this Letter, as Our Extraordinary Missionary for the solemnities of the 350th Jubilee, which will be celebrated next June 27th, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on the Wall of Monks.
We command you to fulfill the desires of all, in the name of Our Presiding Officer, and, with Our pastoral feelings and closeness to the clergy, religious and people, as well as to public authorities and all the Christian faithful, in the fulfillment of such a great mission. As the situation itself demands, you will preside over the Eucharistic celebration, in which you will evangelize about the unsearchable riches of the Heart of Christ, from which rivers of living water flow, to heal the wounds we suffer, so that we may move forward together towards a just, united and fraternal world. While we commend your mission, Venerable Brother, to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, we gladly impart to you our Apostolic Blessing, the message of heavenly graces, which we wish to extend to all participants in the celebration.
From the Vatican, 19 June, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, in the Holy Year 2025, the first of our Pontificate. LEO PP. XIV