Pope Francis closes Holy Door to end Year of Mercy

The Pope said the doors of reconciliation should stay open

Pope Francis has pulled shut the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, formally ending the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
In his homily during Sunday morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said that while the year of special prayers and gatherings has ended, people should never close “the doors of reconciliation and pardon.”
He says what’s important is to know “how to go beyond evil and differences.”
The Holy Year, which started on December 8 2015, drew roughly 20 million pilgrims to Rome, where they could gain an indulgence by passing through the open Holy Door at the Vatican and at other Rome basilicas. Catholics worldwide could also do so in churches closer to home.