The Jubilee 2025
The Universal Jubilee of the Catholic Church is a religious event of great importance that is celebrated with the aim of promoting faith, charity and forgiveness. It is a special occasion for the faithful from all over the world to renew their spiritual commitment and receive plenary indulgences.
The word “Jubilee” comes from the Hebrew “yobel“, which means “ram’s horn“ used in ancient Israel, the sound of the horn announced the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In the Christian tradition, the Jubilee is a period of remission of sins and reconciliation with God, a time of spiritual renewal and grace. It is a time in which the faithful are invited to make pilgrimages, confess, participate in liturgical celebrations and perform works of mercy.
We read the first news of the Jubilee in the Bible: it should have been convened every 50 years. It was proposed as the occasion in which to re-establish the correct relationship with God, between people and with creation.
In 1300, Boniface VIII announced the first Jubilee, also called the Holy Year, because it is a time in which Christians experience that the holiness of God transforms us. The cadence has changed over time: at the beginning it was celebrated every 100 years; then every 50 years from 1343 with Clement VI and every 25 years from 1470 with Paul II. There have also been extraordinary Jubilees, such as when, in 1933, Pius XI wanted to commemorate the anniversary of the Redemption and in 2015, when Pope Francis announced the Year of Mercy.
The way of celebrating the Jubilee has changed over time: at the beginning people were visiting the Roman Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul Outside the Walls, then with the pilgrimage, later other traditions were added such as the opening of the Holy Door. The four papal basilicas in Rome that have a Holy Door are: St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major.
The Jubilee 2025 will officially open on December 24, 2024 at 7:00 PM, with the Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter by the Holy Father, who will then preside over the celebration of the Holy Mass on the night of the Lord’s Birth inside the Basilica.
