Pope Francis to Open Roman Catholic Holy Year Tuesday Dec 08,2015

 

Pope Francis on Tuesday Dec 08,2015 opens a Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, expected to draw millions to Rome under some of the strictest security ever seen at the Vatican following attacks in Paris and California.

During the celebrations, one of the most important events in the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, faithful make pilgrimages to Rome and other religious sites around the world.

This will be only the 29th Holy Year in the Church since the tradition started more than 700 years ago.

Holy Years normally take place every 25 years unless a pope decrees an extraordinary one to bring attention to a particular need or topic, such as this one on the theme of mercy. The next Holy Year had been scheduled for 2025 before Francis decided to call a special one.

Pope Francis opens a 'Holy Door' at St Peter's basilica to mark the start of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, on December 8, 2015 in Vatican