Pope to attend Jubilee Holy Door ceremony

Vatican City, Dec 8 (IANS/AKI) Pope Francis on Tuesday will open the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica to inaugurate the Catholic Church's Jubilee on the theme of mercy.

Pope Francis' predecessor Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI will also attend the ceremony.

Over 2,500 soldiers were deployed to assist the police. Street sellers were barred from St Peter's Square and adjacent areas to the Vatican, and transportation of arms, explosives, ammunition, fuel and toxic gases were also banned.

A no-fly zone was enforced over the capital for the Jubilee, the Vatican and surrounding area.

The areas were being monitored by a newly installed closed-circuit video system and Italian airforce radar and drones, while helicopters and fighter jets were scrambled to intercept any suspicious airspace breaches.

Rome expects to welcome over 30 million pilgrims for the Jubilee during which believers are encouraged to renew their relationship with God and seek forgiveness for their sins, according to a 700-year-old tradition. The year of mercy runs till November 30, 2016.

Benedict, 88, stepped down from the helm of the Church in 2013, saying he lacked the physical and mental strength to continue leading more than 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.

--IANS/AKI

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