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Pope Francis opens the door to Catholic Jubilee

– Mercy, mercy me –

The Jubilee, which runs until November 20, 2016, was called by the pontiff with the express goal of allowing the Church to “make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy”.

The pontiff has made the idea of mercy the dominant theme of his papacy, insisting that it is not simply an abstract concept.

In a surprise move, he announced in September that for the duration of the Jubilee, priests would be given special dispensation to absolve women who have had abortions.

Some 800 priests around the world are to be designated “missionaries of mercy” tasked with encouraging higher levels of confession amongst believers. Those involved have been selected for their ability to preach well, understand human frailty and ensure the confessional is not experienced “like a torture chamber” as Francis himself put it.

Behind all this lies Francis’s mission to make the Church seem less judgemental and more understanding, at times in the teeth of fierce resistance from traditionalists opposed to any relaxation of teaching on hot-button subjects such as homosexuality, divorce and unmarried cohabitation.

Traditionally, Catholics were expected to make a pilgrimage to Rome to benefit from the indulgences on offer to the faithful who pass through the Holy Doors during Jubilee years.

Francis has effectively done away with this 700-year-old custom by ordering cathedrals around the world to open their own Holy Doors. That will happen on Sunday, when Francis himself opens the door at one of Rome’s major churches, St John Lateran.

With millions of pilgrims packing the already-crowded streets of Rome, concerns over the consequences of potential attacks are running high with unprecedented security measures in place for the duration of the Jubilee.

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“There has been no specific threat but the context is troubling,” said Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli, the official in charge of ensuring the Jubilee passes off smoothly and safely.

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