VATICAN CITY - Thousands of  police including snipers backed by helicopters and drones were deployed Tuesday to protect Pope Francis as he opened the Holy Door in St Peter's Basilica launching a special Holy Year of mercy.

 The pope told the faithful “to put mercy before judgement, and in any case the judgement of God will always be in the light of his mercy.”

 “Crossing the Holy Door makes us feel part of this mystery of love and tenderness,” he said.

 Francis recalled that he had anticipated the opening of the Holy Door during his recent visit to the Central African Republic. He said he was making “this gesture, as I did in Bangui, as simple as it is strongly symbolic, in the light of the Word of God.”

 The pope said the opening of the Jubilee also recalled the start of the reforming Second Vatican Council of the Church 50 years ago. “Let’s begin again with the same energy and enthusiasm,” he said, asking for a return to the “missionary push” of the Council, “which was a meeting, a true meeting between the Church and the men of our time.”

 Three hundred patrols of police and paramilitary Carabinieri were deployed around the Eternal City in a massive security operation involving 2,250 men, Rome police headquarters said.

  Sixteen police sharpshooters were posted on the dome of St Peter's Basilica and surrounding roofs while another 16 were positioned around the Spanish Steps in the centre of the city where the 78-year-old Argentinian pontiff travellled by car Tuesday afternoon under an escort of four police motorcyclists for the traditional placing of a wreath on a statue of the Virgin Mary to mark the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

 At the statue the pope said that “under the cloak of Mary, there is a place for everyone,” including the elderly, the unemployed and migrants.

  Some 50,000 pilgrims and tourists passed through police metal detectors as they congregated in St Peter's Square for the opening of the Holy Door by the pope. In addition to the Italian police controlling access to St Peter's the inside of the square surrounding the pope was policed by 110 men from the Swiss Guard, the pope's private army, and 130 members of the Vatican gendarmerie, the police force of the tiny Vatican state.

 jp