Varese and its Jubilee, the Holy Door is opened

“We are entering a time when we let ourselves receive the love of God and his great mercy, and, at the same time, we respond by asking ourselves what good we can do.”

A few minutes after the opening of the Holy Door on Sacro Monte, Varese, the “Sforzesca Door” (named after the 16th century Duke of Milan), Bishop Franco Agnesi explained the meaning of this rite, the opening of door, the way into the church.

Worshippers, the curious, regulars and tourists: the Jubilee of Mercy, which was started a few days ago in Roma by Pope Francis, has arrived in Varese, with a lot of people making their way up the thousand metres, this afternoon, to enjoy the final rays of sunshine of a cold day at the end of autumn. That’s it.

“When we do this all together, the Lord does wonders, and we become increasingly able to do good,” Agnesi said, before joining Monsignor Giovanni Giudici, Marco Ferrari and Luigi Stucchi.

The cardinals, who were accompanied by civilian and military authorities, opened the door to a church that was full of worshippers.

The ceremony, which was heralded by the ringing bells, started at 4.45 p.m.

Under the severe gaze of Pope Paul VI, by Bodini, a small crowd gathered on the church courtyard; by the climax of the ceremony, they numbered about one hundred, surrounded by a moderate line-up of police, who were present to guarantee law and order.

The influx of worshippers, many of whom were on foot, was completely normal, and the opening of the “Pizzelle” road provided a few hundred extra parking spaces, which helped to prevent traffic jams.

The ceremony was also accompanied by a team of civil protection officers from Varese, who followed the worshippers along the route indicated to reach the sanctuary.

The Holy Door in Varese is one of the 9 Holy Doors in the diocese of Milan, the others being at the Duomo, Saint Ambrose and the Don Gnocchi Sanctuary, in Milan, at the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, in Lecco, at the Sanctuary of the Blessed Lady of Sorrows, in Rho, at the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Martyr, in Seveso, at the Sacred Family, in Cesano Boscone, and at the Madonna of Mercy, in Bresso.