As the Church approaches the conclusion of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, preparations are underway in Rome for the solemn closing of the Holy Doors that have welcomed millions of pilgrims seeking spiritual renewal.
According to Catholic News Agency, nearly 30 million faithful have passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica over the past year, receiving the grace of a plenary indulgence during a holy year first inaugurated on Dec. 24, 2024, by Pope Francis. The jubilee will formally conclude on Jan. 6, 2026, when Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door at St. Peter’s on the solemnity of the Epiphany.
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That final rite will mark the end of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope and include the celebration of Mass by the Holy Father. On that occasion, Pope Leo XIV is expected to invite the faithful to return to Rome in 2033 for what the Church calls the “Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption,” according to Catholic News Agency.
In the days leading up to Epiphany, the Holy Doors of Rome’s other major papal basilicas will also be sealed in a series of liturgical celebrations. Catholic News Agency reports that the first door to be closed will be at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Dec. 25, with a ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. local time, followed by Mass celebrated by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the Marian basilica.
The Holy Door of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome, will be closed on Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. local time. According to Catholic News Agency, the rite will be presided over by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the cardinal vicar of Rome, and will include sacred music offered by the diocesan choir under the direction of Monsignor Marco Frisina.
On Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. local time, the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls will be closed in a ceremony led by Cardinal Archpriest James Michael Harvey, as reported by Catholic News Agency.
Traditionally, only the four papal basilicas of Rome have Holy Doors opened during a jubilee year: St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. However, Catholic News Agency notes that Pope Francis made an unprecedented gesture early in the jubilee by opening an additional Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia prison on Dec. 26, extending the jubilee’s message beyond the basilicas as a “symbol of hope” for the incarcerated.
The late pope’s decision reflected his desire to bring the grace of the jubilee to those often forgotten, particularly prisoners, according to Catholic News Agency. At this time, the Vatican has not announced when that fifth Holy Door will be ceremonially closed.
As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, the Church’s final rites stand as a reminder that the passing through a Holy Door is not an ending, but a call to continued conversion, mercy, and renewal in daily Christian life.
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