- On 07/05/2024
- In curiosity
- Tags: St. Peter's Basilica
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THE HOLY DOOR, A DANGEROUS TRADITION
The most outstanding tradition about the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica is that it is walled until the Jubilee Year, when it is opened for the pilgrims’ arrival.
In the past, they left a flake of plaster to be removed from the Pope itself. Or at least, until the year 2000, when Pope John Paul II decided to let it be removed by the workers before he opened the Door by just pushing it.
Why did he decide so? During the celebration of 1975, Pope John VI was grazed by heavy rubble that fell a short distance from him during the removal of the last flake of plaster from the Door. For this reason, today they just push the door and start the Saint Year of the Jubilee with an easy celebration – for the sake of the Pope, obviously!