NAPLES, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — On August 25 at 5:50 p.m., the blood of Saint Januarius liquefied in an exceptional occurrence after the relic had been exposed for veneration at the opening of the National Liturgical Week gathering.

This was a rare event. The last time the blood liquefied in August was more than 600 years ago in 1389. The people of Naples welcomed this sign as a special blessing on the Church and the world.

“At the moment the reliquary containing the saint’s relics was brought out, the blood appeared completely liquid,” declared Vincenzo De Gregorio, Abbot of the Chapel of the Treasure.

The Blood of Saint Januarius is a traditional Catholic relic deeply cherished by the people of Naples. It consists of two small glass vials containing the blood of the bishop, who is the city’s patron saint and was martyred in the third century during the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian.

Each year, the relic is publicly displayed for veneration by the faithful on three occasions: September 19, the feast day of the patron saint; the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, commemorating the transfer of the saint’s relics; and December 16, in memory of the miracle attributed to the saint who protected the city during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

During these liturgical occasions, the faithful of Naples await with trepidation the liquefaction of the blood — that is, the transition from solid to liquid. When this occurs, the Christian people receive the event as a sign of a special divine blessing upon the entire community. In certain cases, the blood of Saint Januarius liquefies in completely exceptional circumstances.

This year, it was decided to display the relic at the opening of the 75th National Liturgical Week. This is an annual gathering organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference, where priests, theologians, religious and lay people come together to reflect on how to make the liturgy what it deems more understandable and participatory for the faithful. It was the first time for the event to be held in Naples, and among the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

When the abbot responsible for the exposition retrieved the relic, he was reportedly astonished to find that it had already liquefied. The reliquary was then offered to Parolin for veneration, and he kissed it. Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, the archbishop of Naples, subsequently displayed the reliquary to the faithful, who greeted the event with long and thunderous applause.

Pope Leo XIV sent a personal message of good wishes to Catanzaro Archbishop Claudio Maniago, president of the Center for Liturgical Action that organized the event.

“The Liturgical Week offers me the opportunity to express deep appreciation to all those in the Italian Church who devote themselves to the liturgical animation of the People of God, called — through the diversity of roles and ministries — to give praise to the Lord,” the pope said.

Pope Leo also expressed the hope that these days “may foster an increasingly active participation of the faithful in the Church’s liturgical action, awakening a renewed awareness of the evangelizing nature of sacred celebrations. May the symposium encourage reflection and the development of practical pastoral guidelines, so that the faithful may rediscover churches as places of worship, where faith is celebrated, the Lord is encountered — present and active in the sacraments — and fraternal communion is lived.”

The theme of this year’s liturgical week was hope. For this reason, Cardinal Parolin recalled that “there is a need for hope not only for Naples but for the world because today we truly lack many elements that help us to hope — especially at the international level, due to the difficulty in initiating a path toward peace in situations of conflict. Therefore, we must not give in to resignation but continue to work for peace and reconciliation.”

Referring to the miraculous liquefaction of the Blood of Saint Januarius, Parolin added that “we also need the intercession of the saints” to obtain peace in the world.

Cardinal Battaglia also recalled that “in this time marked by materialism and individualism, the liturgy teaches us the art of pausing and learning to resist the temptation of hopeless resignation. Our brothers and sisters who celebrate and pray among the ruins of Gaza, as well as those who sing amid the deafening sirens that fill the skies and monasteries of Ukrainian cities and all countries devastated by war, teach us this well.”