Rome's 'Jubilee Church,' designed by U.S. architect, opens its doors

Published: 2003-10-27

ROME (CNS) -- Three years late for Holy Year 2000 but just in time for Pope John Paul II's 25th anniversary, a Rome church designed by a U.S. architect opened its doors in one of the city's most remote suburbs. The soaring "Church of God Our Merciful Father" -- popularly known as the "Jubilee Church" -- features three white concrete shells that look like giant sails on the landscape of high-rise apartment buildings. The interior is luminous, spacious and almost completely devoid of traditional religious imagery. A 19th-century crucifix hangs above the marble altar in front of glass skylights. The church was designed by Richard Meier, who is Jewish, and many Rome residents were eager to see the result. It was dedicated at a Mass Oct. 26 by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome. The pope, who chose the name for the church, has never seen it, but Meier showed the pope a scale model in 1997 and said the pontiff was pleased. The cornerstone was laid in 1998.

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