Washington sentinel., 1900-01-27
The Holy Year.

known throughout Catholicity as
the opening ol the Holy Year has
been allowed by the paper sto Cass
by with such scant notice. The
word Jubilee in this instance is
derived from the Hebrew yobeI,
signIIying a well known sacred in
stitution among the Jews cele-
brated every iftieth year. In this
Sabbstical year slaves and serV-
ants were released from bondage,
debts were remitted, lands were
restored to their owners, prisoners
were pardoned, and a multitude Of
philanthropical theories were car
ried into practice. The word yObel
signifies a sort oi horn, the blasting
OF which announced the opening
Of the Semitic New Year. In the
Roman Catholic Church the Jubi
lee, founded upon the Jewish ideal,
was not formally instituted until
the reign OF Bo7iface VIII, who
issued for the year 1900 a plenary
indulgence to all pilgrims who
visited thirty times the churches
Of St. Peter and St Paul, If they
were Romans, and fifteen times il
they were strangers. Clement vi.
iorty-three years later, made the
Jubilee recur every fiftieth year,
and ADDED to the churches to be
visited the splendid cathedral
basilica oil St. John OF Lateran.
According to Vlllani, during the
Jubilee Of 1895 not less than aoo,.
900 pilgrims hocked to Rome.
Among the more prominent OF
them were Charles oil Valois,
Charles Martial, King Of Hungary,
and Dante, who on this occasion
represented the illustrious city
which had the great honor to be
his birthplace.
The Popes were at Avignon
when the second Jubilee was prom
ulgated, but Cola di Rienzi in
duced Clement vi, to grant TO the
Roman basilicas the same indul-
gences that would have been be-
stow, d upon them had the Pontff
been at the Vatican. The Popes
we're back in the Eternal City
when the third Jubilee occurred
under Urban VI, but neither this
Jubilee nor the succee ding one
under Bonliace TX. was very sue
cessiul. BY this time the Jubilee
was decreed to take place every
succeeding twentV-ffth year. Pope
Martin ", in 1850, issued an invi-
tation to all Christian princes and
peoples thIoughoutthe then known
world to visit Rome and win re-
mission oil their sins by penance
and repentance. The Bishops, the
arochial clergy. and above all the
iriars, received special instructions
TO awaken general enthusiasm,
with the result that the crowd OF
pilgrims was so great, and ordi-
nary accommodation was so far
excee eded, that thousands had to
sleep in the streets and piazzas, and
even in the boats upon the Tiber.
UnfortU natelY, the pest broke ont,
and vast number Of PILGRIMS lost
their lives. The people fell dead
in the streets like flies" says a
contemporary, land never was
there seen so much misery and
horror before" The climax OF
misery came in November when
there was terribls overflow ofthe
TIber, and the remaining pilgrims
had to gain their indulgences by
visiting the various churches in
boats.
The early years Of this century
were passed in a very disastrous
and confused manner, and as Pope
Plus VI. was a prisoner Of the
French there was no celebration OF
the Jubilee. Leo XII. reopened
the Sacred Gate in 1875, in the
presence OF great concourse of
pilgrims and OF the great grand
father and grandmother Of the
present King OF Italy, Victor En-
manuel w, and Maria Theresa of
Naples. There was no Jubilee in
1850, some writer's to the contrary
Notwithstanding, for Pope Plus TX.
was St Il in exile at Gaeta, and the
Jubilee of 1875 was for political
reasons celebrated privately, even
the ceremony Of breaking open the
Holy Door being omitted.
The Jubilee Of 1899 is more for
tunate. AT Christmas the univer-
sally veneTated Leo XIII. un-
closed the Sacred Door with all
the majestic ceremonial that char
acrerizes great Pontifcal functions.
Nothing occurred to mar the har-
mony OF a scene praised by Pro-
testant and some anti-Papal italian