Jubilee Year of HOPE
Jubilee Year of Hope
December 24, 2024-January 6, 2026
In the quiet of Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching what he called a "Jubilee of Hope."
As the doors opened, the bells of the basilica began to peal. Pope Francis was pushed in his wheelchair up the ramp to the Holy Door. In silence, he raised himself from the chair to knock five times, and aides inside slowly opened the door, which had been framed in a garland of green pine branches, decorated with red roses and gold pinecones. Opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica has been a fixture of the Catholic Church's celebration of jubilee years since the Holy Year 1450, the Vatican said.
Echoing the biblical jubilee themes of reconciliation and forgiveness, Pope Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would soften hardened hearts so that "enemies may speak to each other again, adversaries may join hands and people seek to meet together."
Normally the Holy Door, to the right of the basilica's center doors, remains sealed with bricks, a symbolic reminder of the barrier of sin between people and God. The 16 panels on the bronze doors illustrate key moments in salvation history, including the fall of Adam and Eve, the annunciation of Jesus' birth, Christ presented as the shepherd rescuing a lost sheep, the crucifixion and the risen Jesus appearing to the disciples.
The Catholic Church believes that Christ and the Saints have accumulated a treasure of merits, which other believers -- who are prayerful and repentant -- can draw upon to reduce or erase the punishment they are due because of sins they have committed. Making a pilgrimage, going to confession, receiving Communion and offering prayers to receive an indulgence is a key part of the Holy Year.
How to receive an indulgence during the time the Jubilee Year:
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.
The indulgence applies to sins already forgiven. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as if the person had just been baptised. To obtain an indulgence, the usual conditions of detachment from all sin, sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope must be met.
Acts of penance can also obtain a plenary indulgence. The Vatican lists several options: abstaining for at least one day a week from ‘futile distractions’ such as social media or television; fasting; offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, young people in difficulty, and abandoned children; and volunteering.
By making a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima Blue Army Shrine in Washington, NJ, or any of the other designated sites during the Jubilee Year 2025, the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence. Take this opportunity to make a spiritual connection with Our Lord by gaining the indulgence.