It really happened, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door

It really happened, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door. The only Pope for 728 years.

The day began with a dense fog, so dense that the helicopter pilot, as explained the same Francishad to change the flight plan and, as soon as he saw a crack in the clouds, he put his wheels on the former Piazza d’Armi.

Then the sky, as the Pope arrived at the points of recollection and prayer, began to open, until it became blue when, the pope-mobile, was seen on the horizon of Viale di Collemaggio.

Pope francesco is the grandfather of us all, the appearance, the voice, the manners, remembers our elders, even when with some “lecture” he makes us understand how much wisdom and spirituality, it carries with it. But today we have seen a suffering man, a man who carries his cross with the dignity that only those who suffer can understand it.

Each movement was a source of pain, each movement caused terrible pains in him, yet, in front of the Holy Door, he got up from the wheelchair on which he was sitting, took hold of the Getseman’s olive stick, which the Mayor Pierluigi Biondi gave him, hit the door three times, which opened to the world. Then with great humility, he crossed, without any help, alone, leaning on his staff, the Holy Door asking for indulgence. Once inside the Basilica, he was accompanied in the presence of Celestine Vwho defined, during the homily, the Pope of the Yes not the Pope of the No.

Because Celestino was a merciful oneone who was close to the weakest, one who looked at the world from below, one predestined.

The Eagle can understand what the suffering, mercy, the help of others. We suffered and benefited profusely during and after the 2009 earthquake. Therefore, as a citizen, I consider his coming to the city a gift which, thanks also to the cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchihe wanted to give us.

Indeed, greater joy was expected from the faithful. Instead, they seemed awed by the authority of the figure of Pope francescoalmost in suggestion in front of a person who, despite physical suffering, dispensed words of a unique goodness and depth.

Good preparation and management of the eventa heartfelt thanks goes to all those (both those in the field and those in the background) who did their utmost to ensure that everything went smoothly, the police, the municipal administration, volunteers, firefighters, traffic police and we apologize if we have forgotten any.

Now Pope Francis, with his pastoral visit to L’Aquila, with the opening of the Holy Door to the world, has taken away any alibi from us citizens of L’Aquila. There can no longer be the ifs and buts regarding the possibility that Forgiveness becomes a milestone for the development of religious tourism. He left, in our hands, the construction of a city which, in the name of Celestino V and his Holy Door, can find the way to finally become the City of Forgiveness.

It really happened, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door