Pope Francis announces a special Jubilee

The announcement of Pope Francis, of his decision to hold a “special Jubilee”, has taken everyone by surprise: the Vatican experts, newspapers, politicians, but even the same Catholic hierarchy.

Once again, the current head of the Catholic Church has scored a brilliant shot from the point of view of communication.

Ever since he is in office all the issues that threatened to sink the Catholic Church ended in oblivion. Even an anti-clerical like Marco Pannella, an Italian politician, does not miss the occasion to express appreciation and gratitude, even with a certain emotion, towards the current Pope.

But what is the Jubilee? Where does it originate? To go back to its origins we must go to the Bible, and more precisely to 25th chapter of the Book of Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament.

Its name originates from a musical instrument, a ram's horn, Jobel, in Hebrew, which means ram.

This recurrence was decreed by God help those who had fallen into poverty in Israel, and that in order to meet their debts had sold part or all their lands, or had even become slaves of their brethren. It was to be celebrated every 50 years, and it lasted for the whole year.

Essentially it was a sort of amnesty, a time to extinguish every debt, thus allowing those who had fallen  slaves to regain their freedom; and those who had sold their land, to have ten back. Here is a summary of the prescription of Leviticus:

“And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.  A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed." (Leviticus 25: 10-11)

Jesus identifies himself with the Jubilee, and declares the opening of a new Jubilee, at the beginning of his ministry, with these words:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Lucas 4: 18-19).

Thus fulfilling the prophetic meaning of the Jubilee, so decreeing its end, as indeed for all other ritual practices, as well explained in the Letter to the Hebrews, which says: “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away…” (Hebrews 8:13)

But what is the meaning of the Jubilee according to the Catholic Church, that since the year 1300 to date has organized thirty of them?

The Roman Church links with the taking part to this event, the plenary indulgence, or the forgiveness of all sins. That is to say that there are some sins for which the sacrifice of Christ is not enough. And that require a religious practice in order to obtain forgiveness.

This is one of the reason for the controversy with the reformers. Luther in the first place, who questioned the Pope, among other things, the alleged power to grant forgiveness of sins, or by payment of sums of money, or through religious practices; like the Jubilee, or climbing to its knees the “Holy Stairs”.

It’s even interesting the choice of Francis to coincide the beginning of this “Jubilee” with December 8th, the day the Catholic Church celebrates the “Immaculate Conception”, intended to say that Mary, the mother of Jesus was conceived without the contamination of sin, as for every other human being. Introducing in this particular occasion another element incompatible with evangelical theology, which in harmony with the Scriptures considers Jesus Christ the only one not to have ever sinned.

“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26)

“Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)

In other words: nothing new under the sun!