By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 21, 2024 / 07:00 am
The rite of opening the Holy Doors of the main basilicas of Rome to inaugurate the 2025 Jubilee Year is perhaps one of the most solemn events of the Catholic Church, with centuries of tradition.
The pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas in Rome is a central act of the jubilee. Passing through them during the holy year symbolizes entry into a new life in Christ and the beginning of a journey of conversion.
On Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. local time, Pope Francis will open the first and most important of them, that of St. Peter’s Basilica, beginning the Jubilee of Hope 2025, in which 30 million people are expected to participate. Later that evening he will celebrate Christmas Mass, the Nativity of Our Lord.
With this gesture, the faithful around the world are invited to experience a renewed encounter with the “Lord Jesus, ‘door’ of salvation; with him, whom the Church has the mission to announce always, everywhere, and to everyone as ‘our hope,’” says the bull of convocation of the Jubilee 2025.
