Pope Francis will usher in a centuries-old Catholic tradition on Christmas Eve and begin First time, historical addition For sacred rituals.
Starting Dec. 24, the pontiff will open a series of five holy doors throughout the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica and three other basilicas in Rome, to begin next year’s Catholic Church jubilee — a joyous commemoration of the faith that typically takes place every 25 December. Happens in a year.
St. Peter’s Door was sealed Since the Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy in 2016, a wall of bricks was built and dismantled to prepare for the opening of the doors on December 2. Part of the rite of “recognition”.
Following that Christmas Eve ritual, Pope Francis will open a symbolic door inside the Roman prison Rebibia on Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen.
This will be the first time that a Pope has opened the Holy Door in prison, Denver Catholic reported,
Pope Francis said, “I think of those prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, feel daily the rigors of detention and its restrictions, the lack of affection and, in more than a few cases, the lack of respect.”
“To give the prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would like to open a sacred door in the prison itself, as a gesture that would invite the prisoners to look to the future with a sense of hope and renewed confidence.”
The purpose of opening the doors at the end of this month is to usher in a year “renewed in hope” as Christians find Jesus Christ as “the door of our salvation”, Pope Francis Written in a proclamation, or “sign of the bull”, for a celebration lasting 2025 years,
He added, “God’s Word helps us find reason for that hope.” “In the heart of every person, hope lives as a desire and expectation of good things to come, even if we do not know what the future may hold.”
On Sunday, Dec. 29, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door at Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran, of which he is also bishop.
Then, on New Year’s Day – a holy day of obligation, the Solemnity of Mary – the Holy Door will be opened in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major outside the Vatican in Rome.
Finally, on Sunday, January 5, Pope Francis will open the fifth and final Holy Door at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
The Catholic tradition of celebrating the anniversary began in the 1300s and was initially extended every 100 years instead of 25.
Over the centuries, the sacred doors have been opened in four Roman basilicas to mark the beginning of memorable years for the Church.
In modern times, Pope John Paul II also celebrated a jubilee in 2000, at which time he wrote about the importance of sacred doors in relation to one’s faith.
“To focus on the door is to miss the responsibility of every believer to cross its threshold. To pass through that door means to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; This is to strengthen our faith in Him so that we can live the new life that He has given us.” John Paul II wrote,
“It is a decision that presupposes freedom of choice and also the courage to leave something behind, in the knowledge that what is gained is divine life.”
