Pope Francis “opens” the Holy Door to inaugurate the 2025 Jubilee

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

When Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of December 24, 2024, he ushered in the eagerly awaited Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.

With the liturgical gesture of opening the door at the beginning of the Christmas mass at night, as explained in the papal anniversary bull Spes non confundit, The Pope opened the Ordinary Jubilee, a historic event that takes place every 25 years.

The Ordinary Jubilee ends with the closing of the same Holy Door on January 6, 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

The meaning of the Holy Door

The Holy Door is considered “holy” because it calls all who enter through it to walk in the holiness of life. Following in the Pope’s footsteps, representatives of the entire people of God crossed the threshold while singing the anniversary hymn, as a prelude to the countless pilgrims of hope from all countries and languages ​​who will visit St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate the mysteries of salvation in the Holy Year.

Pope Francis on the threshold of the opened Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica

The origin of the custom goes back to Pope Martin V, who opened a Holy Door to enter the Lateran Basilica on the occasion of the extraordinary jubilee of 1423. It was first used in St. Peter’s jubilee in 1450.

Its location, the back wall of the chapel dedicated to the Mother of God by Pope John VII, corresponds to a place where it is located today. Pope Alexander VI gave this symbol of the opening of the anniversary in 1500 a ritual that remained practically unchanged over the centuries; until the turn of the millennium in 2000, the removal of the former brick wall took place and the ceremonial opening of the bronze door took place in 1983.

The last opening of the Holy Door on the occasion of an Ordinary Jubilee was by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 on the occasion of his Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016.

Anniversary to strengthen faith and recognize Christ in our midst

“During the Holy Year,” the Pope prayed, “may the light of Christian hope illuminate every man and woman as a message of God’s love to all! And may the Church bear faithful witness to this message in every part of the world.”

Christmas mass at night in St. Peter’s Basilica

The Holy Father has invited us to pray to prepare ourselves throughout the year so that this anniversary “strengthens us in our faith, helps us to recognize the Risen Christ at the center of our lives and makes us pilgrims of Christian hope.” .

Brings us back into our Father’s embrace

The Pope took up the anniversary theme of hope in his sermon. He began to remember the passage from the Gospel of Luke about how the angel of the Lord, bathed in light, illuminates the night and brings good news to the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy will be for everyone.” people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

At that moment, the Holy Father reflected on how heaven bursts open amidst the wonder of the poor and the singing of angels on earth. “God,” he emphasized, “became one of us to make us like himself; He came down to us to lift us up and bring us back into the Father’s embrace.”

Little Child offers hope for the world

In Emmanuel, “God with us,” the Pope affirmed, we find our hope.

Christmas mass at night in St. Peter’s Basilica

“The infinitely great one,” he marveled, “made himself tiny” and “the glory of heaven appeared on earth like a little child.”

“If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a humble manger,” the Pope continued, “we can truly say: hope is not dead; hope is alive and embraces our lives forever!”

“There is hope for you”

The Pope recalled that the opening of the Holy Door inaugurated the new Jubilee, which calls each of us to enter into the mystery of this extraordinary event.

“Tonight the door of hope has opened wide for the world” and “God speaks to each of us and says, ‘There is hope for you too!'” he said.

“Let us therefore set out hastily,” he said, “to see the Lord who is born for us, with joyful and attentive hearts, ready to meet him and then to bring hope in the way we do our living daily life.” Christian hope is not a “happy ending” that we passively wait for, but rather a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighing.”

Stop wallowing in mediocrity

Significantly, Pope Francis emphasized, the anniversary is “an invitation not to hesitate, not to allow ourselves to be held back by our old habits or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness.”

The Pope recalled that the Doctor of the Church Augustine said that hope calls us to be upset about things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them.

In this sense, the Holy Father urged us as disciples of the Lord: “We are called to find our greater hope in Him and then to carry that hope with us immediately, as pilgrims of light in the midst of the darkness of this world.”

Rediscover the joy of encountering the Lord

“Brothers and sisters,” the Pope reminded, “this is the Jubilee.”

Christmas mass at night in St. Peter’s Basilica

“This is the time of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of the encounter with the Lord,” he stressed, adding that the anniversary “calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may.” truly becomes a time of rejoicing.”

Pope Francis concluded with some food for thought.

“Dear sister, dear brother, this night the ‘holy door’ of God’s heart stands open before you. Jesus, God-with-us, was born for you, for us, for every man and woman. Joy blossoms with him.” ; with Him life changes; with Him hope does not disappoint.”

Opening of the Holy Doors

Pope Francis will deliver his Mass on Christmas Day Urbi and Orbi Message to the people of the city of Rome and the world from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at midday.

On December 26, Pope Francis will open a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison for the first time in the anniversary tradition, a gesture of hope that shows his continued closeness to those imprisoned.

On Sunday, December 29, the Pope will open the Holy Door of his Lateran Cathedral, which celebrated the 1,700th anniversary of its inauguration on November 9 this year.

Then, on January 1, 2025, the Solemnity of Our Lady, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore will be opened.

On Sunday, January 5, 2025, the Holy Door of the papal basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls will finally be opened.

These final three Holy Doors will be closed on Sunday, December 28, 2025.