PORTLAND — A Jubilee Year of Mercy, declared by Pope Francis, will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 8, with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. It will close on Nov. 20, 2016, with the Solemnity of Christ the King.

To inaugurate the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Bishop Robert P. Deeley will open four designated holy doors in the diocese. The doors are only opened during jubilee years so pilgrims can enter through them in order to gain the plenary indulgence connected with the jubilee.

In Lewiston, designated holy doors that Bishop Deeley will open are:

Sunday, Dec. 20 — Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 122 Ash St., Lewiston; 10 a.m. Mass of the fourth Sunday of Advent.