Pope Francis led a special ritual at the Vatican on Tuesday, the opening of the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica.
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The Pope heralded the year by throwing open the huge bronze Holy Door leading into St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time since his predecessor John Paul II crossed the threshold in 2000. The Holy Doors are opened only during a designated Jubilee Year.
In Catholic tradition, the opening of “Holy Doors” in Rome symbolises an invitation from the Church to believers to enter into a renewed relationship with God.
In doing so, they marked the start of a pilgrimage that is expected to see millions pass through the Holy Door, which is opened only during Jubilee Years.
Walking through the Holy Doors means that you receive an indulgence, which is a lessening of the consequences attached to sin.
“This is the love of God which precedes, anticipates and saves”, he said.
The pope called the Jubilee a “privileged moment” in which the church “may learn to choose only ‘that which God likes most'”.
Concerns about security after the Paris attacks may have dampened enthusiasm about traveling to Rome for the Jubilee, and Italian media reported that hotel reservations were down.
“The pope is really calling on all of us to pay attention to the poor among us, to be more involved, to take a stand on the needs that are out there”, she said.
The Church is like a “field hospital in battle”, to use Pope Francis’ famous image, and he’s called a Year of Mercy to open up this worldwide spiritual MASH unit, to nurse and help heal ours and the world’s deepest wounds. The year will culminate on November 20, 2016, the Solemnity of Christ the King, when “we will entrust the life of the Church, all humanity, and the entire cosmos to the Lordship of Christ.”* Wow.
Holy Doors also are a symbol of Jesus, whose example of love offers people the gateway to eternal life.
“Once we have experienced that mercy, that forgiveness, that love, (we are) prepared to share it with others”, Cardinal Wuerl said.
A Jubilee year is a special year called by the Catholic church to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins.
St. Mary Mother of God Parish in Middletown, in conjunction with the Diocese of Trenton, announces the opening of the Holy Doors which will take place on Sunday, December 13, 2015.
In a world inundated with news of violence and escalating global conflict, many of us have come to dread surprises. “Our aspiration during this Holy Year, our goal, is to approximate that goodness, purity and holiness of Mary”.
During his visit to the Central African Republic last week, Francis also opened the Holy Door of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Bangui. Before starting his homily, Pope Francis embraced Pope Benedict, who has lived in seclusion in the Vatican since his resignation in 2013.
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“All the Catholic faith wants is for us to be free and joyful in Christ”, he said.
