POPE OPENS HOLY DOOR OF ST. PETER'S BASILICA

VATICAN CITY, DEC 24, 1999 (VIS) - At 11:27 p.m. today John Paul II opened the Holy Door of the Vatican Basilica. After pronouncing the words: 'Aperite mihi portas iustitiae,' (open for me the doors of justice), and hearing the reply: 'Ingressus in eas, confitebor Domino,' (I wish to enter and give thanks to the Lord), he pushed the door with both hands and thus inaugurated the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

Sixty-five thousand people were present at the ceremony; 8,200 filled the basilica while 56,000 in St. Peter's Square were able to follow the Mass on giant screens. The event was transmitted to 58 countries worldwide with a potential audience of 1.5 billion people.

In the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica the opening ceremony was attended by religious and civil authorities, among them Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, president of the Italian Republic, accompanied by his wife.

The moment the door was opened, the basilica was completely illuminated and the choir sang the Gloria. The Pope, who was wearing a pink, green, purple, red and white cape embroidered in gold, knelt in prayer for a few seconds before entering the basilica. Faithful from Asia and Oceania, wearing traditional dress, placed flowers around the door and scattered perfumes.

The Pontiff took the book of the Gospel and, after showing it to those present, crossed the Holy Door and walked towards the basilica's major altar. At the same time, faithful from Africa blew on ivory trumpets in a sign of joy and others from Europe and America accompanied the Holy Father to the altar, which stands under Bernini's baldachin. Once there, the Pope proclaimed the Great Jubilee to the world while the choir sang the Gloria and the bells rang out.

In the homily during Mass, John Paul II said: "You O Christ, are the Only-begotten Son of the living God, come among us in the stable of Bethlehem! After two thousand years, we re-live this mystery as a unique and unrepeatable event. Among all the children of men, all the children born into the world down the centuries, You alone are the Son of God. In an ineffable way, Your birth has changed the course of human events.

"This is the truth which on this night the Church wants to pass on to the third millennium. May all you who will come after us accept this truth, which has totally changed history. Ever since the night of Bethlehem, humanity knows that God became Man: He became Man in order to give man a share of His divine nature."

On the threshold of the third millennium the Church greets the Son of God "and with You she wishes to enter the third millennium. You are our hope. You alone have words of eternal life. ... You O Christ, the Son of the living God, be for us the Door! Be for us the true Door, symbolized by the door which on this night we have solemnly opened!

"Be for us the Door which leads us into the mystery of the Father. Grant that no-one may remain outside His embrace of mercy and peace! 'Hodie natus est nobis Salvator mundi': It is Christ who is our only Savior! This is the message of Christmas 1999: The 'today' of this Holy Night begins the Great Jubilee."

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