Cathedrals to have holy doors during jubilee

The bishops in England and Wales have said their cathedrals will have designated holy doors during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, writes Christopher Lamb.

Following their plenary meeting in Rome last week the hierarchy have announced a series of initiatives for the extraordinary jubilee, which starts on 8 December, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and ends on 20 November 2016, Feast of Christ the King.

During the year the bishops want Catholics to reflect on mercy as a “fruitful avenue of dialogue with other Christians, other religions and non-believers” and to find ways to express mercy through outreach work and local missions.

Each cathedral is being asked to designate a holy door, a time-honoured tradition of the Church.

A jubilee year starts with the opening of St Peter’s Basilica Holy Door, which is normally closed. Pilgrims walking through the door receive a plenary indulgence.

The last jubilee was in 2000 and every cathedral in England and Wales was then encouraged to designate a holy door.