VATICAN CITY, DEC 14, 1999 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II, in an unprecedented move, and breaking with centuries of tradition, will officially start the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 by personally opening the Holy Doors of Rome's patriarchal basilicas of St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls.
The surprise announcement was made on October 15 when the Office of the Liturgical Ceremonies of the Supreme Pontiff revealed the Pope's calendar of liturgical celebrations, up to and including the January 1, 2000, opening of the Holy Door at St. Mary Major.
The celebration of Jubilees began in 1300 with Pope Boniface VIII, but it was only in 1423 that Martin V first opened a Holy Door, doing so at the Pope's cathedral basilica of St. John Lateran. Three quarters of a century later, for the Jubilee Year 1500, Alexander VI became the first pontiff to open a Holy Door at St. Peter's on Christmas Eve, designating cardinal legates to open the doors on the other basilicas. For this Jubilee, Alexander created a new opening in the portico of St. Peter's and commissioned a door made of marble for the occasion. It was 3.5 meters high and 2.2 meters wide (11 by 7 feet) and lasted until 1618 when another door was installed. That door, the last to the right of the five doors found in the atrium, was replaced in 1950 by the current one, a bronze door donated by Swiss Catholics.
This newest door, consisting of two bronze panels, was inaugurated on December 24, 1949, by Pope Pius XII. It was sculpted by Siena artist Vico Consorti and replaced the wood panels of the inner door which had been inaugurated on the vigil of Christmas 1749 by Benedict XIV.
Each of the two bronze doors is divided into eight smaller panels. Fifteen of these 16 panels represent scenes from the Old and New Testaments: a cherubim at the gates of Paradise, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the Annunciation, the Baptism of Christ, the Good Shepherd, the Prodigal Son, the resurrection of Lazarus, the healing of the paralytic, the adulteress, Peter's denial of the Lord, the good thief, doubting Thomas, the sacrament of Penance, the conversion of St. Paul, the Resurrection. The last panel depicts the 1949 opening of the Holy Door by Pius XII.
These doors are called Holy Doors not only because of the symbolism - doors opening to allow the faithful to physically enter a church, as well as to "enter" a year dedicated to sanctifying their soul through prayer, good works, reconciliation and penance - but because the materials used to make them are blessed.
Pope John Paul II, in his 1994 Apostolic Letter on the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, "Tertio Millennio Adveniente," wrote: "The Holy Door of the Jubilee of the Year 2000 should be symbolically wider than those of previous Jubilees, because humanity, upon reaching this goal, will leave behind not just a century, but a millennium."
Bishop Piero Marini, who has served in the Roman Curia for all but three months of his 34 years as a priest and who was appointed by the Holy Father as master of liturgical ceremonies in 1987, gave an insight into how the Jubilee Year 2000 will be different from past Holy Years, during a press conference today in the Holy See Press Office.
Explaining why Pope John Paul had decided to break with tradition and personally open all four Holy Doors, he said that, in addition to opening the door at St. Peter's, an established papal tradition, the Holy Father had some time ago indicated a desire to also open the door at St. Paul's Outside-the Walls on January 18, 2000. "January 18," said Bishop Marini, "is the customary start of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and is always marked by services at St. Paul's. Given the Pope's solicitude for ecumenism, and his desire for this Jubilee to have an ecumenical character, upon reflection he felt it fitting that he should open that Holy Door."
"As to the doors at St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major," Bishop Marini continued, "Pope John Paul has constantly referred to the 2000 Holy Year as 'the Great Jubilee'. A 'great Jubilee' should, therefore, be marked by events and liturgies that set it apart from other Jubilees. Since, in the past, the Holy Doors of cathedrals - and St. John Lateran is the Pope's cathedral church - were opened on December 25, it was decided that he would open the door at St. John's on Christmas Day. Then, to complete the special nature of this millennium Jubilee, and to give a Marian aspect to this Holy Year, the Pope felt it was important that he personally open the Holy Door at St. Mary Major, the oldest Marian shrine on the West."
The rites involving the Holy Doors during Jubilee years from 1500 to 1975 remained essentially unchanged in several ways: During that period the Holy Doors of the four basilicas were closed on the outside by a wall, not a door, and on the inside were covered by a wooden door; The Pope used a hammer to open the doors and a trowel to close them; Bricks were often used to seal a door, and on occasion gold and silver bricks were sealed within the wall; Since 1500 coins have been placed within the wall, first by themselves, later in special boxes: this custom is still observed today.
A number of changes in the ceremony of opening Holy Doors will mark the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, in particular at St. Peter's, the first door to be opened.
Bishop Marini explained that "until the Holy Year 1975, when Paul VI opened the door at St. Peter's, the door was cemented shut and opened only by breaking down the mason work. Theoretically the mason wall was to fall back in one piece but that year, several pieces of debris fell very close to the pope, causing some concern. A new system was tried for the extraordinary Holy Year in 1983, the Jubilee celebrating the 1950th anniversary of our redemption, and it is that system which will be used again."
He then illustrated the rite of "recognitio" or the on-the spot-inspection which is made at each basilica's Holy Door, formally preparing the way for the Pope to open them. Taking part in this rite, led by the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, are the archpriest of each basilica, representatives of the Chapter and a papal master of ceremonies.
The "recognitio" at St. Peter's will take place tomorrow at 4:30 p.m, at St. John Lateran on December 16 at 4:30 p.m., St. Mary Major on December 17 at 4:30 p.m. and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls on December 21 at 4 p.m.
Bishop Marini detailed this rite for St. Peter's Basilica. "I will be involved in this, as will the prefect of the papal household and other prelates and officials. Prayers will be said and then workers will remove the internal cementing, not a wall as before. There are receptacles within this that will be removed and their contents later examined in the sacristy and then given to the Holy Father. These receptacles contain items such as coins, stamps and other memorabilia from the previous Holy Year, the year the door was last sealed. There are also bricks inside the cemented portion, and these too will be removed."
Pointing to one of the ways the Pope will depart from centuries of tradition for this year's ceremonies, Bishops Marini said that a hammer will not be used this year to open the Holy Doors.
In early years popes simply took hammers from workmen at the church and, in a symbolic gesture, knocked three times on the door, before actually opening it. Later on this ritual was performed with hammers that were made of gold, silver or other precious materials, usually commissioned by high-ranking ecclesiastics and donated to the pope.
For the start of the Jubilee Year 2000 Pope John Paul will simply open the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.
The Holy Door ceremonies and the Mass which open the Jubilee Year 2000 will commence at 11 p.m. on December 24 with a procession in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica. Taking part will be members of the Curia and other high-ranking Church officials, lay persons from the five continents, deacons and the cardinal concelebrants. The Pope, leaving the sacristy where he has vested, will join the procession.
Seated in the atrium will be bishops, representatives of the Chapter and Penitentiaries of the basilica, heads of State, the dean and vice-dean of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See and the papal choir. The procession will stop at the Holy Door for a moment of prayer, the singing of the Alleluia and a reading from the Gospel of Luke (4:14-21).
Pope John Paul, approaching the Holy Door in silence, will then read three verses from the Psalms (118:20; 5:8; 118:19). Ascending the steps, the Pope will open the Holy Door by pushing its sides with both of his hands. From inside the basilica two "sampietrini," workmen responsible for the maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica, will open the door completely.
As soon as the door is open, the interior of the basilica is fully illuminated. The Pope will kneel on the threshold for a few moments in prayer.
The papal master of ceremonies then highlighted what he termed "the international character of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. At the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's," he said, "we will get a glimpse of this, reflecting the continental synods that have been held in preparation for the Holy Year, as called for by Pope John Paul in 'Tertio Millennio Adveniente.' There will be groups participating in the opening ceremony which represent each of the continents. For example, we will see Africans, dressed in native costumes and performing their music on native instruments. Another example: As the Pope enters the basilica, faithful from Asia and Oceania will adorn the jambs of the Holy Door with flowers and perfumes. Members of the laity from America and Europe will join the procession inside the basilica, holding lamps and flowers."
Once Pope John Paul enters St. Peter's through the Holy Door, carrying the Book of Gospels, Bishop Marini said, he will process to the main altar, where there will be the enthronement of the Book of Gospels on a special throne. The laity place their lamps and flowers in front of the Gospel book which the Holy Father then incenses. The proclamation of the start of the Great Jubilee is then chanted. The celebration of Mass follows as usual.
The opening door ceremonies at St. John Lateran on December 25, St. Mary Major on January 1 and St. Paul's Outside-the Walls on January 18 will be similar, though not identical. The doors will be opened but there will be no reading of the Gospel of Luke, no announcement of the Jubilee - having already been done at St. Peter's - and there will be no continental aspect. There will be a Mass at St. Mary Major, while vespers will be celebrated on St. John's and St. Paul's.
The first part of this article on the history of Holy Doors was written for and appeared in the English-language edition of the December 1999 Messenger of St. Anthony.
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