The Jubilee Year of Mercy officially began Dec. 8 – the Feast of the Maternity of Holy Anna (Immaculate Conception) – when Pope Francis opened a Holy Door of Saint Peter Basilica in Rome. Upon encouragement from the Holy Father, bishops around the world also have opened their own Holy Door of Mercy. In the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Metropolitan Archbishop William opened the Holy Door of Mercy Sunday Dec. 13 at the Byzantine Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Munhall, Pa. with this proclamation:
On December 13, 2015, in communion with our Holy Father Francis, Pope of Rome, I solemnly proclaim a Jubilee of Mercy in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, by the opening of this Holy Door at the Cathedral of SaintJohn the Baptist in Munhall, Pennsylvania.
In union with the Holy Father, I urge all the faithful of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh to seek the graces this Holy Year offers, through passing through these doors, prayer, sacramental confession of their sins, the worthy reception of Holy Communion and a renewed dedication to the practice of mercy in their daily lives.
Most Reverend William C. Skurla, D.D.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Pittsburgh