The flagship of the Italian Navy “Amerigo Vespucci” has been designated a “Jubilee church” for 2025 where pilgrims can obtain the Plenary Indulgence during the Holy Year.
The Archbishop of the Italian Forces Santo Marcianò officially designated the historic vessel named after the 15th-century Italian explorer who gave the name to “America”, during the recent inauguration of the Jubilee Year in the Italian Military Ordinariate, the diocese responsible for military chaplains and the spiritual assistance of members of the Armed Forces.
The Amerigo Vespucci’s world tour
Since July 2023, the “Amerigo Vespucci”, a three-masted sailing ship that dates back to 1931 and is currently used as a training ship of the Italian Armed Forces, has been touring the world as a cultural ambassador for Italy stopping in several cities in the five continents.
According to statement from the ship’s press office, it will continue this tour until December 28,as a Jubilee site “for sacred pilgrimages and for pious visits among its missions at sea.”
A pilgrimage to a church or shrine selected by the local bishop is one of the conditions for the faithful to gain a Plenary Indulgence during the Jubilee Year. Other ways include making a pilgrimage to Rome, praying in certain churches in Rome, performing works of mercy, fasting from social media, and volunteering.
Archbishop Marcianò explained that during the Holy Year “the Church that lives among the military also wants to establish signs that express the hope that the Church and the world await from God, and which God entrusts to the military world.”
“These certainly include the sacred Jubilee sites, through which our military can attain the spiritual benefits deriving from the Jubilee Indulgence,” he said.
