Crossed the gate
Pope opens Holy Year – with help from Upper Austria
Pope Francis began the Christmas celebrations on Tuesday evening with a procession to the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica. In a solemn Christmas Eve ceremony, the 88-year-old pontiff, who was in a wheelchair, opened the Holy Door, which is usually walled up from the inside, and crossed it - and he had help from Upper Austria.
This year's mass in Rome also marked the beginning of the so-called Holy Year, which the Catholic Church celebrates every 25 years. A girl from Wels, eight-year-old Ludovica Lavinia Piccioni, was one of ten children who accompanied the Pope at the opening of the Holy Door.
Girl from Austria in local costume
Ludovica was dressed in an Upper Austrian dirndl, and the other children involved from all over the world also wore their national costumes. The pontiff then celebrated Christmas mass.
Tens of thousands welcome "jubilee year" at St. Peter's Square
The Catholic Church normally celebrates its Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee Year, every 25 years. The opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica - one of a total of four such church entrances in Rome - marks the beginning of the Holy Year 2025, with which the Church celebrates the jubilee of another quarter of a century since the birth of Christ. The gate will be closed again after a Holy Year, sealed and walled up from the inside.
This jubilee year will last a few days longer than a regular calendar year: it will begin on December 24th, continue throughout 2025 and officially end on January 6th, 2026.
Around 8,000 people came to St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday. Tens of thousands of faithful also gathered in St. Peter's Square. One billion people around the world were able to watch the ceremony live on television.
Further impressions of the celebrations in Rome:
"So much devastation in the world"
In his sermon, the Pope pleaded for world peace. "There is so much devastation in this world. Let us think of the wars, of children being machine-gunned, of bombs on schools and hospitals," Francis lamented. "The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of the world, so that this can truly be a time of rejoicing: for our Mother Earth, disfigured by the logic of profit - for the poorest countries, burdened by unjust debts; for all those who are prisoners of the old and new slavery," the Pope explained.
Rome prepares for 30 million visitors
The city of Rome is preparing for over 30 million visitors from all over the world for the Catholic feast year. The mega-event "Giubileo" (Jubilee) with its many religious, cultural and social events and initiatives - many of which involve the Pope - is being held under the motto "Pilgrims of Hope". The Vatican's calendar of events already lists hundreds of events.
"Plenary indulgence" for the faithful
According to church doctrine, passing through the Holy Door, which also exists in other papal basilicas in Rome such as Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls, brings the faithful a "plenary indulgence". This is understood to mean the experience of God's special goodness, which frees you from the temporal punishment of sin - the after-effects of sin that remain even after confession. Anyone who seeks an indulgence and fulfills prescribed conditions such as valid confession, the Eucharist and certain prayers can therefore be sure of God's indulgence and hope for strength for a new beginning.
Strict anti-terror measures taken in Rome
Following the attack in Magdeburg, the Italian Ministry of the Interior has tightened anti-terror controls in Rome and around the Vatican. The police want to make greater use of sniffer dogs and video equipment to ensure that the celebrations run smoothly. Thousands of carabinieri, police officers and soldiers are to be deployed in Rome to monitor subway stations, train stations and airports.
Seven activists stopped
Seven activists belonging to the environmental movement "Debt for climate" were apprehended during the checks carried out on the occasion of the opening of the Jubilee. They were three women and four men aged between 20 and 40. They come from Germany, the USA and Belgium. They were stopped by police officers using an inflatable barrier.
Preparations have been in full swing over the past few months. Rome spruced itself up and made up for what had long been left undone. The city sank into construction site chaos: the dilapidated infrastructure had to be brought at least halfway up to standard, and famous sights such as the Trevi Fountain and the Angel Bridge were also quickly spruced up.
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