How many Jubilee doors: There are 7 official Holy Doors, 4 of them in Rome, in each of the Papal Basilicas, and the remaining 3 are as follows: 1 in Quebec City, Canada, at the Notre-Dame Basilica-Cathedral, 1 in Galicia, Spain, at Santiago de Compostela, and one at the Sanctuary of the Cure de Ars, in France. During the Year of Mercy, however, the Holy Father has allowed all dioceses to have their own Door of Mercy, therefore making their own Holy Door. I don’t know if walking through these doors grants a plenary indulgence, but that is a question to be answered later. “Does every cathedral have one?” In many cases, your local cathedral should have a Holy Door for the Year of Mercy. In other cases, the diocese chooses a specific church for their spot for the Holy Door. “General purpose” I’d say, that it gives us a chance to be connected to Rome, and the real, official Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, along with the graces given to us through the Year of Mercy. “When and how did the tradition start?” Well, nobody really knows. Many people say Alexander VI started it, but sources saying that Popes opening special doors go decades, maybe even centuries before Alexander VI.
Since you mentioned this, I thought I would share what our Archdiocese published. I thought it was nice and concise.
That’s how it is in my diocese, also.
Wow. I hadn’t heard about this…
