Opening of the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica
The Holy Father will officially open the Holy Year with the rite of the Opening of the Holy Door on December 24
The Holy Father will officially open the Holy Year with the rite of the Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter at 7pm on December 24. He will then preside over the celebration of Mass on the night of the Lord’s Birth inside the Basilica.
This event will be followed by five different Opening of Holy Doors: the first at Rebibbia Prison (the main Roman prison, on 26th December) and then at St John Lateran’s (on 29th December), at St Mary Major’s (on 1st January 2025 ) and at St Paul’s outside the Walls (on 5th January).
In the Roman Catholic tradition, a Holy Year, or Jubilee is a great religious event. It traditionally marks a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin, a year of reconciliation between adversaries, a time of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Jubilee is described in the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 25:8–13). It is part of the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites: every 50th year was to be declared a Jubilee year, following seven cycles of seven years (49 years).
Key features were the release of slaves, the restoration of land (land that had been sold was to be returned to its original family or tribe), forgiveness of debt (outstanding debts were forgiven, allowing people to start anew) and rest for the land (agricultural lands were left uncultivated, emphasizing trust in God’s provision).
In the Christian era, after the first Jubilee of 1300, Pope Boniface VIII fixed the frequency of Jubilee celebrations to every 100 years. Following a plea from the people of Rome to Pope Clement VI (1342), the frequency was reduced to every 50 years. The last to celebrate a Jubilee on the 50-year cycle was Pope Nicholas V in 1450. Paul II extended the inter-jubilee period to 25 years as is today.
The 2025 Jubilee, named Pilgrims of Hope, will be the 27th Ordinary Jubilee in the history of the Church and the second in the Pope Fransis’ s Pontificate.
Images
- Photo by Xavier Coiffic su Unsplash