VATICAN CITY (EFE).— Pope Francis yesterday called for “building a Church and a society with open doors” during the mass for the day of St. Peter and St. Paul, patrons of Rome, in which he blessed the pallia of the new archbishops.

“They are called to be diligent pastors who open the doors of the Gospel and who, through their ministry, help to build a Church and a society with open doors,” said the Pontiff.

He did so during a ceremony in which, as tradition dictates, the pontiff blessed the pallia of the archbishops appointed last year in St. Peter’s Basilica. These are white wool stoles with six black silk crosses that are worn over the chest and shoulders.

The Pontiff presided over the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul —the patrons of Rome— sitting down due to his knee problems, before the prelates and hundreds of faithful who participated in the liturgy, where he mentioned the Jubilee that Rome is preparing to celebrate in 2025, when some 30 million pilgrims are expected to come to the Eternal City to cross the Holy Door and seek indulgence.

During the ceremony, the Pope also greeted a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, to whom he expressed his gratitude “for having come to express the common desire for full communion” between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Yesterday, the Pope expressed his desire to go to Nicaea, Turkey, in 2025 for the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian council.