Marco Roncalli with Pope Francis.
In the panorama of historical and religious nonsense, few authors manage to skillfully combine documentary accuracy with a lively and engaging narrative. Marco Roncalli, long -experienced historian and journalist, succeeds in order with The city of forgiveness. Saints, artists and brigands in the jubileespublished by Scholé. editorial brand ofMorcellian editor, The publishing house founded in 1925 in Brescia, specialized in publications of philosophy, theology, history and human sciences. Scholé It represents one of its editorial lines, focused on highly popular texts, academic essays and cultural deepening works. A work, that of Roncalli (nephew of John XXIII) which is not only a historical reconstruction of the Christian Jubilee, but a real journey between faith, art, society and politics. Marco Roncalli signs a cultured, documented and at the same time accessible essay, capable of bringing out all the greatness and complexity of the holy years. A journey into the story that is ultimately also a journey into ourselves.
A work that combines history, culture and spirituality
From the first pages Roncalli accompanies the reader throughout seven centuries of holy years. The Jubilee is told not only as a religious event, but as a crossroads of meetings between popes and pilgrims, saints and sinners, artists and merchants, all protagonists of a story full of nuances. The author digs in the biblical and medieval roots of this tradition and shows us how the jubilees have influenced not only on the life of the Church, but also on European politics and culture. The institution of the Holy Year, born in 1300 with Bonifacio VIII, has evolved over time, marking crucial moments of the history of Christianity and the West. With a rigorous approach, but far from academic aridity, Roncalli analyzes the deepest meanings of this event, underlining the importance of mercy, forgiveness and hope.
A lively and detailed fresco
The book is not limited to a chronology of the holy years, but tells them through the voices and experiences of those who have lived them. The testimonies of great characters – popes, cardinals, mysticals, writers, artists – intertwine with those of common men and women, restoring a very rich and multifaceted picture. Petrarca, Dante, Jacopone da Todi, up to Borges and John Paul II: the Jubilee inspired poets and writers, leaving deep traces in the collective imagination. No less fascinating is the role of art: Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini, Bramante, up to Morricone in music, are just some of the names that emerge in these pages. The book brings us to the alleys and squares of Rome, in the churches and monasteries, in the pontifical buildings and in the fields of pilgrims, making us relive the vibrant and sometimes tumultuous atmosphere of the holy years. And speaking of the Alighieri: «That Dante was present in the first Holy Year is very probable, even if still discussed. But safer is that the Jubilee was in some way at the origin of the comedy, and moreover his otherworldly journey given symbolically from the Holy Friday 8 April of 1300 ».
The cover of Marco Roncalli’s book.
A great book
The Jubilee is not only an event of the past, but a living reality that continues to transform itself. Roncalli pays particular attention to the last jubilees, those of the 20th and twentieth centuries, with a focus on the great jubilee of 2000 wanted by John Paul II and on that of the Misericordia of Pope Francis. The Holy Year of 2025, with the theme Pilgrims of hopefits into this continuity, confirming the topicality of the jubilee message in an increasingly fragmented world.
An essential reading
With a refined style and a compelling narrative, The city of forgiveness It is a book that fascinates the reader, informs him and invites him to reflect. It is not just a historical news, but a work that speaks to the soul and the mind, offering fundamental reading keys to understand the profound meaning of the Jubilee. An essential work for anyone who wants to deepen the history of the Church and its impact on society, but also for those looking for a book capable of combining erudition and narrative passion.