Jubilee 2025: Holy Father to Open St. Peter's Holy Door on December 24 at 7pm CET

Dec 16, 2024

On December 24, 2024, St. Peter's Square in the Vatican will be the epicenter of significant events heralding the start of Jubilee 2025. The evening will commence with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, ceremonially opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at 7pm. This act, steeped in tradition, symbolizes a passageway to divine grace and marks the beginning of a year of reflection, pilgrimage, and spiritual renewal. Following this profound ritual, the Pope will preside over the Christmas Eve Mass, a solemn celebration that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. This Mass, rich in liturgical beauty and spiritual significance, draws faithful from around the world, uniting them in a moment of shared faith and devotion.

The atmosphere in St. Peter's Square will be nothing short of magical. Giant screens will be set up to broadcast the event live, allowing the vast crowds gathered outside to participate in the ceremonies. The square will also feature a breathtaking nativity scene and a towering Christmas tree, enhancing the festive ambiance. This convergence of tradition, faith, and community spirit will make the 24th of December a memorable day for all attendees, capturing the essence of the Christmas season and the spirit of the Jubilee. It's a time for reflection, celebration, and communal unity, set against the backdrop of one of the most iconic religious sites in the world.

Like a flame my hope is burning, 
may my song arise to you: 
Source of life that has no ending,
on life’s path I trust in you. 

Ev’ry nation, tongue, and people
find a light within your Word.
Scattered fragile sons and daughters
find a home in your dear Son. Rit.

God, so tender and so patient,
dawn of hope, you care for all.
Heav’n and earth are recreated
by the Spirit of Life set free. Rit.

Raise your eyes, the wind is blowing,
for our God is born in time.
Son made man for you and many
who will find the way in him. Rit.

THE HYMN - PILGRIMS of HOPE

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Jubilee Reconciliation & Indulgence

Jubilee year is a sign of reconciliation because it establishes a “favorable time” (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:2) for conversion. We are called to put God at the center of our lives, growing toward Him and acknowledging His primacy. Concretely, reconciliation is about experiencing the sacrament of Reconciliation, taking advantage of this time to rediscover the value of confession, and personally receiving God's word of forgiveness. There are some Jubilee churches that continuously offer the possibility for Reconciliation. Indulgence is a concrete manifestation of God's mercy, which surpasses and transforms the boundaries of human justice. This gift of grace came about by Jesus’ saving mission. Seeing the witnesses of Jesus and the saints and living in communion with themì our hope for our own forgiveness is strengthened. Concretely, the experience of God’s mercy involves some spiritual actions, as Pope Francis has recommended to the faithful. Those who cannot make the Jubilee pilgrimage due to illness or other circumstances are nevertheless invited to take part in the spiritual journey that accompanies this Jubilee year. Among the conditions for receiving the indulgence is praying for the Pope's intentions.

The Jubilee Logo

The cross of Christ is the hope that cannot ever be abandoned because we are always in need of it, especially in the most difficult moments.

 The Cross, in the shape of a sail, is transformed into an anchor that imposes itself over the waves in motion. A universal symbol of Hope.  

The figures represent humanity from the four corners of the World. They are embracing each other to illustrate the solidarity between the peoples, as the first holds onto the cross.

The rough sea is a reminder of the difficulties of the pilgrimage of life. Often, personal events as well as those of the world, press on us more intensely, demanding a greater hope. 

The logo shows how the way of the pilgrimage is not an individual effort, but rather collective, with the impression of a growing dynamism that tends more and more to the cross.

The Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have gifted us in your son Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity kindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us, the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. 
May your grace transform us into diligent cultivators of the evangelical seeds that make humanity and the cosmos rise unto the confident expectation of the new heavens and the new earth, when with the powers of Evil overcome, your glory shall be manifested eternally. 
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, the yearning for heavenly treasures and pour over all the earth the joy and peace of our Redeemer. To you God blessed in eternity, be praise and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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What is the Jubilee?

The Jubilee has always been an event of the people. In fact, the first Holy Year
of 1300 was born at the the request of the People of God. In a climate of change of century, the faithful o f Rome asked Pope Boniface VIll for "a pardon of sins which would be not only more abundant, but complete" as we read in the Bull of Indiction.

Among the ancient Hebrews, the Jubilee (called the year of the yobel, "of the goat" because the holiday was announced by the sound of a goat's horn) was a year proclaimed holy. At that time, the Mosaic law prescribed that the land, o f which God was the sole master, would return to its former owner and that slaves would receive back their freedom. It usually would fall every 50 years.

In the Christian era, after the first Jubilee, the recurrence for the jubilee celebration was set by Boniface VIII t o b e every 100 years. In 1342, following a petition from the Romans to Pope Clement VI, the period was reduced t o 5 0 years. Subsequently, Pope Paul Il, in the mid-15th century, reduced the inter-jubilee period to 25 years.