Pope grants Jubilee Year for Guadalupe Basilica anniversary

(OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Mexico City announced that Pope Leo XIV has declared a Jubilee Year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In a statement published by the archdiocese Sept. 9, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico City expressed his “joy and gratitude” for the jubilee celebration, which he said was granted through the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience.

Built in 1976, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located near Tepeyac Hill, the site of Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in 1531. With some 20 million people visiting each year, it is Catholicism’s most popular Marian shrine.

Before its construction, the Old Basilica of Guadalupe, built in 1695, served as the primary sanctuary housing St. Juan Diego’s tilma, which bears the miraculous image of Virgin Mary. However, a 1921 bombing caused the basilica to sink over time, prompting the construction of the current basilica.

The Jubilee Year will not only mark the basilica’s dedication, but also the transfer of the image of Mary to the “camarin” (“little room”) behind the current basilica’s main altar. The miraculous mantle, which normally faces the congregation, can be turned around to allow for private veneration.

In his statement, Cardinal Aguiar said he will inaugurate the start of the Jubilee Year Oct. 12, the 131st anniversary of the pontifical coronation of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was declared in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII.

Those who visit the basilica “with a contrite spirit” during the Jubilee Year, and participate “in a liturgical act or spend time in prayer in the Basilica may obtain a plenary indulgence for themselves or apply it to the souls in Purgatory,” the cardinal said. The holy year will run through Oct. 12, 2027.

The indulgence, he added, would be granted under “the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father).”

“May Holy Mary of Guadalupe, Mother of the True God for whom we live, help us make fruitful use of this Jubilee and accompany us on this journey of spiritual renewal and conversion,” Cardinal Aguiar wrote.

The Archdiocese of Mexico City also announced several liturgical events on the eve of the Jubilee Year, Oct. 11, including morning prayer followed by Mass. In the evening, the celebration of solemn vespers will be held at the basilica, followed by a gathering of priests in the main sacristy.

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