Year Of Jubilee | Religious Celebration - Britannica

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Ordinary Holy Years

The Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John LateranA woman looking at the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, on April 26, 2014, a day before the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.(more)

The Holy Year begins on Christmas Eve (December 24) with the opening of the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, followed by the opening of those at Rome’s three other papal basilicas: St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Santa Maria Maggiore. The opening of the Holy Doors at these churches is typically staggered so that the opening at the fourth basilica takes place on the Vigil of Epiphany (January 5). The Holy Year ends with the closing of the doors at St. Peter’s on the following year’s Epiphany (January 6).

During a Holy Year Catholics are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Rome. However, since 1500 the Jubilee has been extended to the whole world during the year following the Holy Year, and certain churches in each diocese are designated for visitation.

Pope Francis proclaimed the theme for the 2025 Jubilee Year to be “Pilgrims of Hope,” inspired by St. Paul’s words to the Christian community of Rome: “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). In addition to opening the Holy Doors of the four papal basilicas, Francis also opened a “Holy Door” in a prison “as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence.” After Francis’s death in April 2025, some Jubilee events were postponed. Celebrations were renewed after the election of Pope Leo XIV in May. The 2025 Year of Jubilee drew about 33 million pilgrims to Rome.

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