The Great Jubilee in the local Churches

Dario Busolini

It’s the Jubilee also for the local Churches of the entire world, which began the Holy Year one Christmas Day, at the same time as Pope John Paul II was opening the Holy Door in Saint John Lateran. In Milan, the Holy Year began with a city pilgrimage from the Church of San Carlo al Corso to the Cathedral, and which ended by crossing the door, following the book of the Gospels held up by the Archbishop Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. In Venice, at the same time as the solemn celebration of Christmas Midnight Mass was being held in the Basilica of Saint Mark, the icon of the Madonna “Dèesis”, symbol of the religious events of the Venetian jubilee, was welcomed in all the churches of the diocese. Even in Bologna, the Jubilee was opened after a procession, which started from the church abbey of the Holiest Saviour and arrived at the Holy Door of the Cathedral. The Church of Warsaw experienced a special opening of the Jubilee, seeing as it coincided with the beginning of the European youth meeting promoted by the Ecumenical community of Taizé. The Primate of Poland Cardinal Jozef Glemp wished young people “to abandon sadness and complaints and to build a new century”. It was a jubilee of peace in East Timor, Asia. After so much mourning, people gathered inside and outside the cathedral of Dili where the Bishop Carlos Belo celebrated Christmas Mass. Africa is living the Jubilee among all sorts of economic and social problems, and yet the Holy Year was opened everywhere with great vitality.