Hospitalized pope urges deacons to selfless service as thousands gather for jubilee Mass

An aerial view shows over 4,000 deacons gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for the special jubilee Mass, Feb. 23, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Feb 23, 2025 / 08:40 am (CNA).

Prayers filled St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday as Archbishop Rino Fisichella delivered Pope Francis’ prepared homily to over 4,000 permanent deacons gathered for a special jubilee Mass, while the pontiff remains hospitalized with pneumonia.

The message, centered on selfless service and forgiveness, emphasized three fundamental aspects of diaconal ministry that the pope described as “forgiveness, selfless service, and communion.”

“Indeed, forgiveness is an indispensable element of every ecclesial vocation and a requirement of every human relationship,” the pope’s homily stated, read by Fisichella, who serves as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

During the Feb. 23 historic ceremony, 23 men from eight countries were ordained as permanent deacons. The international gathering drew significant delegations from around the world, with Italy sending the largest group, followed by 1,300 deacons from the United States, 656 from France, and substantial numbers from other nations.

The pope’s message called deacons to see their ministry as transformative both for themselves and society. “Through your ministry, you devote yourselves to being ‘sculptors’ and ‘painters’ of the merciful face of the Father, and witnesses to the mystery of the Triune God,” the homily declared.

Referencing St. Lawrence, patron saint of deacons, the pope recalled how when asked to hand over the Church’s treasures, the saint pointed to the poor and proclaimed: “These are our treasures!” This story served to illustrate the pope’s broader message about authentic service and communion.

Fisichella highlighted the pope’s spiritual presence in the celebration, noting that while physically absent due to his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, his message resonated deeply through the basilica where “communion takes on its fullest and most meaningful dimension.”

The Mass marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing jubilee year, with the pope emphasizing that ordination “is not an ascent but a descent,” calling for deacons to make themselves “small” in humble service to others.

“Your mission sets you apart from society only to be reimmersed in it in order to enable it to be an ever more open and welcoming place for everyone,” the homily stated, describing this as “one of the finest expressions of a synodal Church.”

The pope concluded by entrusting the deacons to the Virgin Mary and St. Lawrence, calling them to be “apostles of forgiveness, selfless servants of our brothers and sisters, and builders of communion.”

The celebration showcased the universal Church’s commitment to diaconal ministry, even as prayers continued for the pope’s recovery from bilateral pneumonia.