THE Archdiocese of Cebu is set to close the Jubilee Door of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral this month, which signals the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Msgr. Ruben Labajo, team moderator of the Cathedral, made the announcement during the All Souls’ Day mass at the Carreta Cemetery yesterday morning.
Labajo also said the Archdiocese will close the doors of “Jubilee churches” located in various parts of Cebu.
These includes the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Carcar City, Archdiocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer in Bogo City, Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Bantayan Island and St. Joseph Parish in San Francisco, Camotes Island.
Labajo said the closure of the Cathedral and the five churches’ Jubilee Doors will be on Nov. 13, just a week before the Christ the King celebration.
The Christ the King celebration will happen on Nov. 20, which marks the end of the old liturgical year and precedes the Advent.
The Extraordinary Year of Mercy began on Nov. 20 last year, during the Solemnity of Christ the King.
Vatican officials called 2016 an Extraordinary Jubilee as it was not predetermined by the Catholic Church.
Ordinary jubilees often occur every after 25 years.
During his declaration of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis had urged the international clergy to emphasize the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
It was also during the Extraordinary Year of Mercy that Pope Francis instructed all priests to be given the right to absolve reserved sins, including the sin of abortion, which only the bishop can impose.