CT News
Dec. 26, 2025 : The closing of the Holy Door at Saint Mary Major took place on Christmas Day, with the Cardinal Archpriest Rolandas Makrickas of the papal basilica inviting the faithful to remain open to hearing the Word, welcoming the other, and forgiveness.
Almost a year has passed since their opening on January 1, 2025. The decision to close them on December 25 is no coincidence: in Saint Mary Major, the relics of the Holy Crib where the newborn Baby Jesus was laid are preserved.
In his homily, the Cardinal Archpriest highlighted the unique nature of the Jubilee of Hope that is about to conclude: a Holy Year begun by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo. The only precedent occurred in the Holy Year of 1700, opened by Innocent XII and closed by Clement XI. But today, as then, it was “a passing of the baton and of leadership that gives us the image of the life of the Church that never ends,” because "the Lord never abandons His Church."
Finally, from the Basilica that houses the Marian icon of Salus Populi Romani, as well as the earthly remains of Pope Francis and several other Pontiffs, Cardinal Makrickas invited the faithful to translate the powerful moments of the Jubilee into renewed prayer, concrete attention to the poor, reconciliation in families, creative commitment in work, and a merciful presence in the community.
Created by the sculptor Luigi Enzo Mattei and inaugurated by Saint John Paul II on December 8, 2001, the Holy Door of Saint Mary Major was opened for the first time by Pope Francis on January 1, 2016, on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
Closing of the other Holy Doors
The Holy Door of the Liberian Basilica was the first of the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas to be closed. On the morning of Saturday, December 27th, it will be the turn of Saint John Lateran, while the following day, Sunday, December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Family, it will be the turn of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The rites will be presided over by the respective archpriests, Cardinal Baldassare Reina and Cardinal James Michael Harvey.
Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica on January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
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