THE HOLY DOOR CLOSES, THE YEAR OF GRACE CONTINUES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 22, 2000 (VIS) - During a press conference held this morning in the Holy See Press Office, Bishop Piero Marini, master of liturgical ceremonies of the Supreme Pontiff, described the January 5 and 6 concluding celebrations of the Holy Year 2000.

Bishop Marini recalled that the first closing of a Holy Door for which historical and ritual documentation exists is that of St. Peter's Basilica at the end of the Holy Year of 1500.

The sixteenth century rite, he said, was as follows: the entrance procession through the Holy Door and the celebration of vespers in the Vatican Basilica; procession towards the Holy Door with a pause for the exposition and veneration of relics; the procession departs the basilica, the Pope being the last to pass through the Holy Door. In the atrium there was the blessing and sprinkling with holy water of the stones and bricks. Following the prayer "Deus qui in omni loci," the Pope concluded the rite by intoning the "Te Deum" hymn, then ascended to the central loggia to impart the apostolic blessing.

The master of liturgical celebrations indicated that the sixteenth century ritual for closing the Holy Door was maintained up to 1975. In Christmas of that year it was changed as follows: entrance into the basilica through the St. Martha door and a pause for prayer in front of the Confession of St. Peter; a procession through the basilica and exit through the Holy Door, the last to leave being the Pope; silent prayer by the Holy Father kneeling at the threshold of the Holy Door. As the Holy Father went from his chair to the Holy Door, an antiphon was sung. Then the Holy Door was closed as the Pope recited some words and the hymn "Gloria in excelsis Deo" was sung. This was followed by a procession to St. Peter's Square for the celebration of Mass.

Bishop Marini explained that the closing of the Holy Doors in 2001 "will take place in two distinct stages: the actual rite of closing, ... and the walling up of the Holy Door on the inside of the four basilicas, which will take place several weeks later."

"On the afternoon of January 5, vigil of the Epiphany," he stated, "the Holy Doors of the three patriarchal basilicas will be closed by Cardinal Legates: Cardinal Camillo Ruini will close the door of St. John Lateran; Cardinal Roger Etchegaray will close the door of St.Paul's Outside-the-Walls and Cardinal Carlo Furno will close the door of St. Mary Major. The rite of closing will be followed by First Vespers of Epiphany."

On January 6, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope John Paul will close the Holy Door at St. Peter's in a ceremony starting at 9:30 a.m. with a procession, including lay persons from all the continents, deacons and cardinal concelebrants. After they are seated in the atrium in front of the Holy Door, the Pope begins the rite with the sign of the cross, a trinitarian invocation, the liturgical greeting, an introduction and a prayer. The choir sings "O Clavis David" as the Holy Father ascends the steps, kneels, prays in silence and then rises and closes the two sides of the Holy Door. Following this the procession moves to the altar and the Eucharistic celebration begins.

Bishop Marini then turned to the ceremony of the walling up of the Holy Door, and observed that the January 2001 ceremony will be identical to those celebrated in 1975 and 1984, that is, a brick and masonry wall will be built on the inside of each basilica where the Holy Door is located and an urn containing a number of coins and a parchment document will be placed inside. The center of the wall will be marked by the traditional sign of the cross indicating where the bronze urn has been placed.

The walling-up rite contains the following elements, he said: the reading of the parchment, which attests to the opening and closing of the Holy Door and bears the signatures of those present at the rites, the placing of the coins and parchment in the urn, the setting of the box in the wall and the reading of the "rogito" attesting to the event.

Each urn will include a gold medal of the 23rd year of Pope John Paul's pontificate, 23 silver medals corresponding to the 23 years of his papacy, and 17 bronze medals commemorating the 17 years since the last Jubilee (1984-2001). There will also be three gilded bricks bearing the coat of arms of Pope John Paul and a commemorative medal of the Knights of Malta.

Four different urns have been cast for the four basilicas, and were made by a German, a Japanese and two Italians.

The bricks to be used in the wall bear an inscription in Latin containing the name of the Pope or Cardinal Legate who opened and closed the door, as well as the date of the Holy Year.

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