Omnis Terra 2022 - a Rite that is Repeated With History and Devotion

 

text and photos by Antonio Bini

The rite of Omnis Terra returned to the Basilica of the Holy Face inspired by the procession of the Veronica established on the second Sunday following the Epiphany of the year 1208 by Pope Innocent III. In introducing the celebration, Archbishop Bruno Forte turned his thoughts to the late Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer who contributed so much to the promotion of the knowledge of the Holy Face, sharing the historical reasons for the re-enactment of the rite and also thanking Sister Blandina and all those who are committed to the study and dissemination of the Holy Face. During the homily he recalled: "It was the year 1208, the second Sunday after the Epiphany, called Omnis Terra from the words of the Psalm of the Introit" Omnis terra adoret te, Deus, et psallat tibi! " ("All the earth adore you, O God, and sing hymns to you" (Ps 65,4), when Pope Innocent III instituted the procession to carry the veil of the Holy Face (the so-called Veronica) from St. Peter's Basilica to the nearby church of Santo Spirito in Sassia. Here the Bishop of Rome wanted to bless with the precious relic the sick people of the ancient Pilgrim's Hospital, which he himself had rebuilt and upgraded. With that gesture Pope Innocent intended to highlight the healing power of the face of the Savior  when contemplated with faith, and the fruitfulness of the prayer of adoration and intercession before that Face, which we recognize as present on the veil of byssus venerated in Manoppello ”.

 

And the Archbishop's homily concluded: "As Mary in front of the face of her Son dying out of love for us, so may each of us in front of the Holy Face preserved in this place obtain to die with Jesus to the old man, to rise with Him to be a new creature, anticipating in the fragility of time something of the infinite beauty of heaven, which in the Holy Face venerated here is revealed and promised with the discretion and humility of the love which is victorious over evil and death. Amen."

These statements are in continuity with what has been expressed by other church officials since the first commemoration, which took place in Rome on  January 16 and 17,  2016, as part of the extraordinary Jubilee Year of the Face of Mercy  in 2016 and then in Manoppello in the following years, with the reiterated identification of the Holy Face with the legendary Veronica. Among these were  Archbishop Georg Gänswein, prefect of the Papal Household and private secretary of Benedict XVI, Archbishop Edmond H. Farhat and Msgr. Americo Ciani, canons of San Pietro, cardinals Kurt Koch and Gerhard Ludwig Müller. Mons. Bruno Forte had already been present together with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, in the 2019 edition.

 

At the conclusion of the solemn Mass, concelebrated by Fr. Matteo Siro, minister of the "Immaculate Conception" Seraphic Province of the Capuchin Friars Minor of Abruzzo, Lazio and Umbria, by Fr. Antonio Gentili, rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face, in the presence of various priests, including Fr. Carmine Ranieri, former provincial and Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, former rector of the Shrine and numerous novices, the reliquary of the Holy Face was carried in procession to the threshold of the main door - open for the occasion - for the Omnis Terra blessing to Manoppello and the world. The subsequent final blessing from the altar concluded the celebration. Many people were present for the rite who participated  in prayer and meditation, within the limits of the maximum capacity allowed by the guidelines for containing the pandemic. The celebration was followed via live streaming by devotees from many parts of the world.