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Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, concluding the Jubilee of Hope , on Jan. 6, 2026. (Credit : Vatican Media) 

What is the Jubilee?

In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee (or Holy Year) is a special year of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, rooted in Jewish tradition, occurring every 25 years (Ordinary Jubilee) or for special reasons (Extraordinary), marked by pilgrimage, penance, and opening Holy Doors, offering plenary indulgences to renew faith and experience God's mercy, as seen in the 2025 Jubilee themed 'Pilgrims of Hope'.

History of the Jubilee

In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII called the first Jubilee, also known as a “Holy Year,” since it is a time in which God's holiness transforms us. The frequency of Holy Years has changed over time: at first, they were celebrated every 100 years; later, in 1343 Pope Clement VI reduced the gap between Jubilees to every 50 years, and in 1470 Pope Paul II made it every 25 years. There have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years: for example, in 1933 Pope Pius XI chose to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption, and in 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of Mercy as an extraordinary jubilee. The way in which Jubilee Years are marked has also changed through the centuries: originally the Holy Year consisted of a pilgrimage to the Roman Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, later other signs were added, such as the Holy Door. By participating in the Holy Year, one is granted a plenary indulgence.

Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee

The 2025 Jubilee Year, themed "Pilgrims of Hope," officially opened on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, marking the beginning of the Catholic Church's Holy Year. Bishops worldwide held corresponding opening Masses on December 29, 2024. This is the 27th ordinary Jubilee in the history of the Catholic Church—and the second of the 21st century. The last ordinary Jubilee (celebrated every 25 years) took place in 2000.

For the first time in more than three centuries, two popes presided over one Jubilee, with Pope Francis opening the Holy Doors on December 24, 2024, and the Holy Year officially ending on January 6, 2026, under Pope Leo XIV. The yearlong celebration drew more than 33 million pilgrims to Rome.

Closing of the Jubilee Year 2025

On 6th January 2026, marking the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. At the start of the Mass, the Pope closed the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the last of the Holy Doors opened for the Jubilee Year, bringing the ordinary Holy Year to an end — a time of grace that invited Catholics to conversion, reconciliation, and hope.

The pontiff processed toward the Holy Door as the antiphon "O clavis David" was sung. Reaching the threshold, he knelt before the door and remained for a few minutes in silent prayer. He then rose and pushed shut the two large bronze doors — a gesture that visibly marked the end of the jubilee season.

Before closing the doors, the Holy Father pronounced in Latin the formula prescribed by the rite, following a practice established in 1975 and later simplified by St. John Paul II during the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

Leo XIV then recited the prayer of thanksgiving for the ordinary Holy Year, proclaiming: “This Holy Door is closed, but the door of your mercy is not closed.”

After closing the Holy Door, Leo XIV presided over Mass for the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord inside St. Peter’s Basilica, bringing the day’s liturgical celebration to its conclusion.

The subsequent walling-up

In keeping with the simplified celebration, the public rite did not include the portion involving the construction of a brick wall and was limited to the closing of the bronze doors. The masonry work itself will be carried out later, privately, about 10 days after this public rite.

The act will be overseen by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. The so-called “sampietrini” — personnel of the Fabric of St. Peter, including carpenters, cabinetmakers, and electricians who normally handle basilica maintenance — will build the brick wall inside the basilica to definitively seal the Holy Door.

During this private rite — without cameras or journalists — the traditional metal capsule (“capsis”) will be inserted into the wall. It will contain the official act of closure, coins minted during the jubilee year, and the keys of the Holy Door as a material and symbolic testimony of the holy year that, as the pope noted, has ended on the calendar but not in the spiritual life of the Church.

- Article by Catholic Time Staff