PRESS BRIEFING ON OPENING CEREMONY FOR JUBILEE 2000

VATICAN CITY, DEC 23, 1999 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls held a briefing this afternoon for journalists on several aspects of the ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica tomorrow evening during which Pope John Paul will open the basilica's Holy Door and inaugurate the Jubilee Year 2000.

He recalled that, as the Pope wrote in the Bull of Indiction for the Holy Year, "we are getting ready to cross the threshold of the Third Millennium." He added that the Holy Father's thoughts and prayers tomorrow night - as well as those of 1.7 billion people in the world who believe that Christ is the Son of God - will be on Christ and the start of a year long celebration marking the 2,000th anniversary of His birth.

Navarro-Valls also underscored the "signs" which the Pope believes should mark this Jubilee, such as the moratorium on the death penalty and the forgiveness of debts of poorer countries.

Then, turning to the ritual of opening the Holy Door, he briefly reviewed the process outlined on December 14 by Bishop Piero Marini, master of papal liturgical ceremonies. He recalled that the Holy Father will join a procession in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica, stop in prayer when he arrives at the Holy Door where the Gospel of Luke will be read, as well as several verses from Psalms, then proceed to simply push open the two bronze panels of the Holy Door. He said a "dress rehearsal" had been held on opening the door.

Among those in the atrium will be the cardinal, archbishop and bishop concelebrants of the Mass as well as the Orthodox Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II of Istanbul, who wished to be present for this ceremony as he could not attend the ecumenical service on January 18 at St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls.

The procession will continue inside the Vatican Basilica until it reaches the papal altar where John Paul II will proclaim the start of the Jubilee Year. The Christmas vigil Mass will then start.

Navarro-Valls pointed out that, at the moment that the Pope proclaims the Jubilee open in St. Peter's, Latin patriarch Michel Sabbah will, in the grotto in Bethlehem, proclaim open the Jubilee in the Holy Land.

The only head of State who will be present at tomorrow's opening door rite and Mass will be Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

The director then gave some statistics for tomorrow evening's ceremony: 8,200 people will be seated in St. Peter's Basilica where television monitors will allow them to better see the actual opening of the Holy Door; 40,000 will be seated in St. Peter's Square where there will be mega-screens; 58 countries will provide live television coverage, including Cuba. He pointed out that poorer countries unable to provide satellite linkup will be helped financially by the Knights of Columbus.

As is customary, said Navarro-Valls, the Holy Father will spend some time after Christmas at the residence at Castelgandolfo.

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