CT News
Jan. 19, 2026 : The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica has been sealed, marking the final rite of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Just ten days after Pope Leo XIV closed the Holy Door — the last of the four papal basilicas — Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s, together with Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, presided over a private sealing rite on Friday, January 16. Remembering the millions of pilgrims who crossed the threshold during the Jubilee, Cardinal Gambetti prayed that they remain steadfast in faith and in communion with the Successor of Peter.
The craftsmen of the Fabric of St. Peter (sampietrini) built a wall of about 3,200 bricks inside the Basilica to seal the Door. Within it, a bronze capsa, engraved with the coats of arms of Pope Francis—who opened the Jubilee of 2025—and Pope Leo XIV—who closed it—was placed inside a sealed lead box. The capsa contains a parchment attesting to the opening and closing of the Holy Door; medals from the first year of Leo XIV’s pontificate; a medal from the final year of Francis’ pontificate; medals marking the decade between the Jubilee of Mercy (2016) and the Jubilee of Hope (2025); and a medal commemorating the 2025 Sede Vacante.
Cardinal Gambetti and Archbishop Ravelli then placed the final bricks, recited the Lord’s Prayer, and gave a final blessing—bringing the Jubilee rites to a close.
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