The Bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, has proceeded to the Opening of the Holy Door of the Jubilee Year that the Apostolic Penitentiary has granted to the Diocese of Córdoba in the 1,100th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Pelagiusin which plenary indulgence can be achieved from this Wednesday, June 26, until June 26, 2025.
Before a chapel full of priests, seminarians and faithful, the prelate performed the rite of opening the Holy Door in the chapel of the San Pelagius Major Seminary and began the mass in Spanish-Mozarabic rite. In his homily, Fernández stressed the importance of the place where they were celebrating mass, “this precise place where Saint Pelagius gave the supreme testimony of love for Jesus Christ and suffered martyrdom, being dismembered alive”.
“This place is especially sacred and anointed with the testimony of Saint Pelagius,” indicated the bishop, who also assured that today’s party “is a claim for all priests and faithful and the opening of the Holy Door is the heart of Christ opened wide.”
“Horrible martyrdom”
Saint Pelagius came from a very Christian family and the fact of growing up in that environment allowed him to set a precious example of Christian life. Reviewing his life, the pastor of the Diocese has highlighted this child’s virtue of maintaining, above all, faith, prayer and Christian attitudes such as chastity.
“Faith in Saint Pelagius grew and strengthened despite the adversities, despite the Caliph’s proposals to give him a better life in exchange for surrendering to him. Saint Pelagius always knew it was from Jesus Christ“, he explained. His heroism and defense of the virtue of chastity make him today an eloquent witness of faith that continues to show how “chastity is the ordered sexuality that exalts, because lust degrades the person; chastity is a virtue that springs from the Lord,” he explained.
Saint Pelagius lived the virtues of the courage and chastityChristian values that are still in force and “the testimony of this child stimulated the Christian life of all communities,” said the bishop, because his “horrendous martyrdom for remaining faithful to Jesus Christ stimulated Christian life in the face of the pain inflicted and had an impact on the Reconquest”.
Program of the Jubilee Year of Saint Pelagius
For the Jubilee Year, the celebration of talks and conferences around the figure of Saint Pelagius and through the social networks of the Seminary and the Diocese, the virtues of this 10th century martyr will be disseminated by chapters. In addition, a documentary about his life with pedagogical value is being prepared to distribute it among schoolchildren, priests, seminarians and faithful.
To win the jubilee, the usual conditions will be followed: visit a jubilee temple, in this case the Major and Minor Seminaries of Córdoba, the parish of San Pelagio Mártir and the Cathedral; increase prayer and recite the Creed; in addition to confessing and taking communion if possible in those days before or on the day or days after the visit to the jubilee temple.
