Pope opens `holy door,' celebrates Mass in visit to homeless shelter
Rome - Pope Francis performed the ritual of the opening of the holy door and celebrated Mass for the homeless Friday in a visit to a newly-refurbished Catholic shelter near Termini, Rome's biggest train station.
It was part of papal activities for the Jubilee of Mercy, a Catholic festival running until November 20, 2016, during which so-called holy doors are opened to offer the faithful a symbolic path towards redemption.
In a change from the past, Francis has allowed the ritual to be performed in cathedrals and places of worship all around the world, rather than just in Rome, and also decided to repeat it in a place for the poor, after a December 8 opening ceremony in St Peter's.
"If you want to find God, look for him among humility, look for him among poverty, look for him where he is hiding: among the needy, the neediest, the sick, the hungry and the imprisoned," the pope said in a homily.
Some 200 guests of Roman shelters run by Catholic charity Caritas were invited to attend the papal Mass, the Vatican said in a statement.
DPA
