The holy door opens

The Holy Door opening. Photo: Fr Dan Troy SSC

Pleasant winter sunshine lit up the spacious compound of St Joseph's Cathedral in Wuhan as we gathered on the Feast of the Holy Family for the opening of the city's Holy Door for the Jubilee Year. With people arriving from each of the city's parishes, many acquaintances were being renewed as we awaited the beginning of the ceremony.

Floral displays and the presence of the colourful logo for the Jubilee Year were already communicating that we were about to take part in a celebration that links the Church in China with the universal Church in a unique way.

Just five days after Pope Francis had opened the first Holy Door in St Peter's Basilica and a second at Rebibbia New Complex Prison in Rome, many of those who were gathering in Wuhan had already read on social media about those details, the significance of the prison door reminding them of the Pope's closeness to those who live on the margins of society.

As Bishop Francis Cui began to lead the prayers at the side of the cathedral compound, the energetic responses from the hundreds of people indicated that they were delighted to take part in the Jubilee Year.

Within a few minutes, their loud responses were attracting the attention of those walking past the cathedral at that early hour. A pause in the prayers provided the cue to begin the procession in song to the main door of the cathedral - a fine structure that has stood here since it was built by the Italian Franciscans in 1874.

The immense doors of St Joseph's Cathedral were a fitting place for Bishop Francis to stand and face the people as the prayers continued. A few minutes later, as the huge doors were opened, he led the people into the impressive cathedral, a place of prayer that has witnessed so much of China's recent history, including aerial bombing in World War II when one of its bell towers was destroyed; on that same day, Bishop Eugene Massi died because of the bombing.

In his homily during the Sunday morning Mass, Bishop Francis highlighted the importance of the Jubilee Year, which had begun a few days earlier in Rome. He made several references to the hopes of Pope Francis for this special year.

In a country where words are carefully crafted for public occasions at all levels of society and where symbols speak deeply, the opportunity for the Catholic Church in China to take part in the Jubilee Year speaks in a special way about how a new ecclesial pathway is being gradually shaped. The Jubilee Year provides a way for the Church in China to grow in its participation in what is happening in the universal Church. The Jubilee Year may build upon the participation of two Chinese bishops who travelled to Rome to attend the Synod on Synodality in 2023 and 2024, a significant development because their presence in Rome was only possible with the approval of the civil authorities.

As the celebration of Mass continued in St Joseph's Cathedral in Wuhan, I think many of the Catholics experienced great joy as they realised that as people of deep Christian faith, they were participating fully in a Jubilee Year for the universal Church, one that is already bearing fruit and providing them with many reasons to celebrate.

Columban Fr Dan Troy lives and works in China.