Pope Leo to close Holy Door at St Peter’s – opened by Pope Francis – through which 30 million pilgrims have passed through during Jubilee Year.
The Vatican has finalised the schedule for the closing of the Holy Doors in Rome’s four major papal basilicas to mark the end of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
Vatican jubilees take place every 25 years and are designed as a special year of grace, in which the Church offers the faithful the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence by passing through the Holy Doors.
The tradition dates back to 1300 when Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the first jubilee.
The current Jubilee of Hope, which began on Christmas Eve 2024 when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St Peter’s, has drawn around 30 million pilgrims to the Eternal City.
The closing of the Holy Doors marks the formal end of the Jubilee Year, with a series of solemn ceremonies scheduled during the Christmas season and into the new year.
The first door to be closed will be at St Mary Major, or Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis was buried earlier this year. This ceremony will take place on Christmas Day at 18.00, and will be presided over by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas.
The next door to be closed will be in St John Lateran, or San Giovanni in Laterano, by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, on 27 December at 11.00, followed by the closure of the Holy Door at St Paul Outside the Walls, or San Paolo fuori le Mura, in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal James Michael Harvey on 28 December at 10.00.
Pope Leo XIV will close the last door, at St Peter’s on 6 January 2026 at 09.30, signifying the end of the Jubilee Year.
Image: Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee 2025, on Christmas Eve 2024, and celebrates Christmas Mass in front of faithful. Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp.
