On Sunday, December 28, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls was solemnly closed, marking a significant moment in the life of the Church as the Jubilee journey continues to unfold across Rome’s major basilicas.
Presiding over the Eucharistic celebration was Cardinal James Michael Harvey, Archpriest of the basilica, who centered his homily on Christian hope—one that faces the wounds of history without surrendering to despair. According to Vatican News, the cardinal emphasized that authentic hope does not deny “wars, crises, injustices and confusion,” but endures within them, rooted not in human strength but in God’s mercy.
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The rite of closing the Holy Door unfolded in prayerful silence. After kneeling in reflection, Cardinal Harvey sealed the door whose panels recall the years of preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000, dedicated to the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son. While the physical door closed, the cardinal reminded the faithful that God’s mercy “remains perpetually open,” and that every conclusion in the Church is ultimately an invitation to deeper conversion.
At the heart of the liturgy stood the Cross of Christ, described by the cardinal as “the only hope,” echoing the inscription Spes unica that marks the basilica. This hope, he explained, is not “naive optimism” or an escape from reality, but confidence in what he called the “salvation already given,” a gift that continues to unfold within human history. As reported by Vatican News, Cardinal Harvey stressed that Christian hope is sustained by God’s faithful love, not by “fragile human abilities.”
Drawing on the witness of St Paul, the Apostle who endured imprisonment and apparent failure, the homily recalled the enduring promise of Scripture: “hope does not disappoint.” According to the cardinal, no external chains can extinguish the interior freedom of those who live in Christ, because even weakness becomes a place where grace is revealed.
The Holy Door itself, Cardinal Harvey said, is more than stone and bronze. It represents a passage into mercy, a moment of renouncing “pretensions of self-sufficiency” and returning to communion with the Father. “God never closes the door to man,” he reminded the faithful; rather, it is humanity that must choose to pass through it.
The celebration also pointed beyond the basilica walls. Passing through the Holy Door, the cardinal noted, carries a responsibility to return to the world as witnesses—bearing hope into ordinary life marked by fear and division. The example of the Holy Family, remembered in the day’s liturgy, illustrated this call through quiet fidelity, mutual care, and trust that perseveres even in darkness.
“As the Holy Door closes,” Cardinal Harvey concluded, “may the door of faith, charity and hope remain open in our hearts. May the door of mission remain open, because the world needs Christ,” according to Vatican News.
The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls is the third of Rome’s papal basilicas to have its Holy Door closed during this period. The Holy Doors of St Mary Major and St John Lateran were closed earlier, and Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to close the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
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