Evening star., 1901-02-02
CLOSING THE HOLY DOOR
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ELABO-
RATE CEREMONIAL.
One of the Greatest Sights That May
He Witnessed by Visitors at
St. Peters, Rome.

From the london Public Opinion.
As all Catholics and many Protestants are
aware. the closing year Of the century Is a
jubilee year in the Roman Catholic Church.
Many ceremonies have taken place to mark
the period but of these none have been or
are more imposing than the opening and
closing Of the Holy Door at st. Peters
Cathedral. The opening ceremony was wit
messed year ago, and the closing took
place on Christmas Eve. Owing to the deli
cate state Of the present pope's health, the
building in which the opening and closing
ceremonies took place had been heated to
the temperature Of Leo XIIPs private
apartments to avoid any possibility OF his
holiness taking a chill.
The ceremony of opening the Holy Door
Is declared to be symbolical of the fact that
the church Is open to all men so long as
they go there after a thorough and sincere
conversion. When the pope opens the door
the three knocks which he gives to it rep
resent the three continents--Europe. Africa
and Asia-to which the pope offers the
treasures which. he Is the medium for dis
peEsing. The three strokes also are looked
upon as symbofizing the JOY that the jub-
and purgatory- The pope. who Is seated on
a raised throne in front of the large door in
the middle of the grand portfco. remains
stationary for a brief while, until the prince
his holiness, which the latter takes in his
right hand and, rising from his throne,
goes and knocks at the holy door. His
clergy follow him. each with a candle in
his hand. His holiness after knocking
three times at the door. says in Latin:
open to me these doors Of justice!' Then
the choir adds This Is the door Of the
eternal one, and the just will enter in,'' etc.
the wall which incloses the haly door, the
wall being lightly put together, however,
that Its four sides are held together but
slightly, the stones Of which 1t is composed
the pope knocked at the holy door than it
falls without any resistance. The debris of
the wall Is distributed among the worship
pers who hasten to gather it in order to
put 1t among their precious relics.
While this is taking place the pope re-
seats himself on the throne, but after the
demolition Is completed the penitentiaries of
st. Peter take their brooms, clean the floor,
the passage-which are not looked upon as
material to be held in light esteem. since
relics are made of -them-and wash the
holdings and all round the door with holy
water. This work being finished his holi-
ness once more deScends from his throne,
singing the anthem which opens with the
words: ''Haec dies guam fecit Dominus," t"
etc, which the choir continues to sing after
him. Arriving at the holy door the pope
recites some prayers takes the cross,
kneels before the door. intones the TIE
Deum, and rising again while singing.
passes through the holy door, his clergy
following him. Everybody who can goes
into st. Peters to witness this superb cere-
mcny or to take part in the vespers at the
Papal chapel. After the vespers the cardi-
nails take off their robes and put on their
red capes, accompany the pope to the door
of his private apartments, and then retire. ~
After the morning mass on Christmas
day his holiness goes to the lodge of the
benedction, where he blesses the faithful
in the form which is only used on the oc-
casion Of the jubilee The closing of the door
Is very similar ceremony to the opening.
The greatest solemnity is observed. and
thousands of privileged pilgrims flock to the
cathedral to be witnesses of what, except in
rare instances, occurs but once in a life
time. His holiness lays the first brick for
the closing of the door. all the cardinals,
monsignors and other dignftaries In Rome
being witnesses of the operation. - The
bricks used for this purpose are about
double the ordinary size, being covered with
thin layer Of plate-in some cases of silver
and in others of gold. They bear in relief
the papal arms and the inscription: LEO
XIH.- Pont. Max. Aperuit ct clausit."