Pope Francis invites the Faithful to a journey of trust and renewal
What is a Jubilee Year?
A Holy Year dedicated to the forgiveness of sins, conversion, and joyful celebration.
The term “jubilee” originates from the Hebrew word yobel, referring to the ram’s horn used to announce a jubilee in the Old Testament.
Old Testament Origins
God instructed Moses to dedicate every fiftieth year as a time for the return of absent members to their households, the restoration of land to its original owners, the release of Hebrew slaves, and the forgiveness of debts:
"This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate." (Leviticus 25:10)
Like the sabbath, which occurs every seventh day, the jubilee allowed the Israelites to restore their relationships with God and one another.
Tradition Continues in Christianity
The first Christian jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. It offered full remission of sins for those who confessed and made a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Initially celebrated every 100 years, jubilee years were later reduced to intervals of 50 years, and eventually to 25 years.
Recent Jubilee Years
1950: Pope Pius XII proclaimed this Holy Year and defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.
1975: Pope Paul VI declared this Holy Year of reconciliation.
1983: Pope John Paul II marked a special jubilee to celebrate the 1,950th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2000: Pope John Paul II announced the Great Jubilee of the new millennium.
2015: Pope Francis proclaimed an extraordinary jubilee dedicated to mercy, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.
Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
Pope Francis has proclaimed Jubilee 2025 in the Papal Bull Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), emphasizing hope as the hallmark of the year:
“The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade—our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust we require in the Church and society, in interpersonal relationships, and in promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.” (Spes Non Confundit, 25)
The Jubilee commenced in Rome on December 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and in local dioceses on Holy Family Sunday, December 29. It is set to conclude on December 28, 2025, in local dioceses and on January 6, 2026, in Rome, with the closing of the Holy Door.
The Mass for the Opening of the Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Norwich took place at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich, on Sunday, December 29, 2024. The celebrant for this special Mass was the Most Rev. Juan Miguel Betancourt. This event marked the official start of the Jubilee Year in the diocese.
Hallmarks of the Jubilee
Jubilee Indulgence:
Special graces for the forgiveness of sins are offered during the Jubilee Year. The faithful may receive a plenary indulgence—remission of temporal punishment for sins—by meeting these conditions:
Confession, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the pope’s intentions, and detachment from sin.
Participating in activities such as pilgrimages, Eucharistic adoration, or performing works of mercy and penance.
Holy Doors for Jubilee 2025
Return to Tradition:
Unlike the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-16, diocesan Holy Doors will not be part of Jubilee 2025. The Vatican has limited Holy Doors to the four major basilicas in Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Special Addition:
In "Spes Non Confundit" ("Hope Does Not Disappoint"), the papal bull officially proclaiming the Holy Year, Pope Francis wrote that "in order to offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would myself like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence.
Historical Significance:
Holy Doors, symbolizing the path to salvation, have been part of Jubilee celebrations for over 600 years. The first Holy Door was opened at St. John Lateran by Pope Martin V in 1423.
Jubilee Prayer
Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform
us into tireless cultivators of the seeds
of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within
both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise forever.