This morning, the Pope unveiled the Bronze Door, the entrance to the Apostolic Palace and the Pope’s House, at the end of "two years of a patient and ingenious restoration work". "Just because it marks the entrance to the House of he whom the Lord has called to guide, as a Father and a Pastor, the whole People of God said the Pope , this Door takes on a symbolic and spiritual value. It is crossed by those who come to meet the Successor of Peter. Pilgrims and visitors going to the different Offices of the Apostolic Palace pass through it. I gladly wish that those who enter the Bronze Door may feel welcomed by the Pope’s embrace as soon as they enter. The Pope’s House is open to everyone". This door was built by Giovanni Battista Soria and Orazio Censore during the Papacy of Paul V, between 1617 and 1619. Worn out by age, in 2000 it should have been restored but this restoration work was not possible until a few years later. So the Door was disassembled, brought back to its pristine beauty, according to the latest methods and techniques, and strengthened with a steel core. At the unveiling ceremony, the Pope thanked all those who have made the restoration possible.
