The Celestinian Forgiveness

Cardinals who have opened the Holy Door

List of the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church who, from 1982, have opened the Holy Door of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio on occasion of the Celestinian Forgiveness rite, on 28 August of each year.  

  • 1982 – Card. Corrado BAFILE, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
  • 1983 – Card. Carlo CONFALONIERI, already Archbishop of L’Aquila; Archpriest of the Patriarchal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Dean of the Sacred College
  • 1984 – Card. Ferdinando ANTONELLI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
  • 1985 – Card. Corrado URSI, Archbishop of Napoli
  • 1986 – Card. Antonio INNOCENTI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
  • 1987 – Card. Jozef TOMKO, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
  • 1988 – Card. Achille SILVESTRINI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
  • 1989 – Card. Salvatore PAPPALARDO, Archbishop of Palermo
  • 1990 – Card. Giuseppe CAPRIO, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
  • 1991 – Card. Jerome HAMER, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
  • 1992 – Card. Fiorenzo ANGELINI, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care
  • 1993 – Card. Angelo SODANO, Secretary of State
  • 1994 – Card. Virgilio NOE’, Archpriest of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, Vicar General emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City State
  • 1995 – Card. Vincenzo FAGIOLO, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
  • 1996 – Card. Roger ETCHEGARAY, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace and of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
  • 1997 – Card. Pio LAGHI, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
  • 1998 – Card. Card. Vincenzo FAGIOLO, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
  • 1999 – Card. Salvatore DE GIORGI, Archbishop of Palermo
  • 2000 – Card. Virgilio NOE’, Archpriest of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, Vicar General emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City State
  • 2001 – Card. Giovanni Battista RE, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
  • 2002 – Card. Vinko PULJIC, Archbishop of Saraievo
  • 2003 – Card. Sergio SEBASTIANI, President Emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
  • 2004 – Card. Josè SARAIVA MARTINS, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
  • 2005 – Card. Renato Raffaele MARTINO, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and President emeritus of the Pontifical Council of the Pastoral Care of Migrants and and Itinerant People
  • 2006 – Card. Attilio NICORA, President of the Administration of the Heritage of the Apostolic See (APSA), Pontifical Legate for the Basilicas of St. Francis and of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi
  • 2007 – Card. Crescenzio SEPE, Archbishop of Napoli
  • 2008 – Card. Giovanni COPPA, Apostolic Nuncio; Apostolic Secretariat
  • 2009 – Card. Tarcisio BERTONE, Secretary of State
  • 2010 – Card. Walter KASPER, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
  • 2011 – Card. Angelo COMASTRI, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City State
  • 2012 – Card. Francesco COCCOPALMERIO, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
  • 2013 – Card. Domenico CALCAGNO, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (Apsa)
  • 2014 – Card. Ennio ANTONELLI, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family
  • 2015 – Card. Beniamo STELLA, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
  • 2016 – Card. Edoardo MENICHELLI, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ancona-Osim
  • 2017 – Card. Gualtiero Bassetti, Metropolitan Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference
  • 2018 – Card. Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
  • 2019 – Card. Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State
  • 2020 – Card. Matteo ZUPPI, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bologna
  • 2021 – Card. Enrico Feroci, Archbishop of Passo Corese

Celestine V and the Holy Door

The Bull of Forgiveness, its history, the celebrations, and the places of the Celestinian Pardon from its origins to today.

L'Aquila: its history and culture

Culture, history, nature, and traditions. Itineraries, the iconic sites clustered around the historic city centre and its surroundings.

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