In the afternoon, after a picnic on site, the solemn procession presided over by Fr. Pagliarani made its way to the Basilica of St. John Lateran where, as on the previous day, after passing through the Holy Door, the traditional Jubilee prayers were recited.
Video summary of the procession at St. John Lateran
St. John Lateran
It is the cathedral of the Pope. It is dedicated to the Most Holy Redeemer; later it was also dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist; it is the ancient baptistery of Rome.
Although the popes have not inhabited the Lateran Palace for centuries, the primacy of its basilica survives in solitude, despite any abandonment. As in the time of St. Pier Damiani, it is still true to say that, just as the Savior is the head of the elect, the Church that bears his name is the head of the Churches; that those of Peter and Paul are, on his right and on his left, the two arms with which this sovereign and universal Church embraces the whole earth, saving all those who desire salvation, warming them, protecting them in her motherly bosom.
It is at the Lateran that, even today, the official taking of possession of the Roman Pontiffs takes place. There, every year in their name, as Bishops of Rome, the cathedral services of the blessing of the Holy Oils on Holy Thursday and, two days later, the general ordination are celebrated. If Prudentius, the great poet of the age of triumph, were to return to our own day, he would still say, “In rushing waves, the Roman people flock to the Lateran dwelling, whence they return marked by the sacred sign, the royal chrism; and you could not doubt, O Christ, that Rome has been consecrated to you!”
