The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-14
London Public Opinion, published in
yesterdays New York Tribune is TAX


en-:
"As all Catholics and many Protest
ants are aware, the closing year of the
century is 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 ana
closing of the Holy Door at ST. Peter
Cathedral. The opening ceremony was
witnessed year ago, and the closing
took place on Christmas eve. owing
to the delicate state of the present
pope's health, the building in which the
opening and closing ceremonies took
place had been heated to the tempera-
ture of Leo Kills 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
thorough and sincere conversion. When
the pope opens the door the three
knocks which he gives to it represent
the three continents-Europe Africa
and Asia-to which the pope offers the
treasures which he Is the medium for
dispensing The three strokes also are
looked upon as symbelizing the joy
that the jubilee causes to the faithful
of heaven, earth and purgatory. The
pope, who is seated on a raised throne
in front of the large door in the middle
of the grand portico, remains stationary
for brief while, until the Prince of the
Throne presents a golden hammer to
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, af-
ter 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. After this the
master masons knock down the wall
which incloses the holy door, the wall
being so lightly put together, however,
that its four sides are held together but
slightly, the stones of which 1t is COM
posed not being cemented. Thus, no
sooner has the pope knocked at the holy
door than it falls without any resist
ance. The debris of the wall Is dis
tributed among the worshippers, who
hasten to gather it in order to put in
among their precious relics.
while this is taking place the pope
reseats himself on the throne, but af-
ter the demolition is completed the pen
of st. Peter take their brooms
clean the floor, remove the pieces of
brick and mortar from the passages
which are not looked upon as material
to be held in light esteem, since relics
are made of them-and wash the
and ell round the door with
holy water. This work being finished,
his holiness once more descends from
his throne. singing the anthem which
opens with the words: "Haec dies guam
fecit Dominus," 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 follow
ing him. Everybody who can goes in
to ST. Peters to witness this superb
ceremony or to take part in the vespers
at the papal chapel. After the vespers
the cardinals take off their robes and
put on their red caps, accompany the
pope to the door of his private apart
ments, and then retire.
After the morning mass on Christ
mas day his holiness goes to the lodge
IF the Benediction, where he blesses the
faithful in the form which is only used
IN the occasion of the jubilee. The clos
ng of the door is a very similar cere-
nony to the opening. The greatest So
emnity is observed, and thousands of
privileged pilgrims flock to the cathe-
iral to be witnesses of the operation.
The bricks used for this purpose are
about double the ordinary size, being
covered with a thin layer of plate--in /.
some cases of silver and in others of /
gold. They bear in relief the papal arms
md the inscriptions: Leo XIII, Pont. /
Max. Aperuit ct clousit.