He papa Francisco will lead this Tuesday the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilicaa solemn act that marks the beginning of the Jubilee 2025a momentous event for the Catholic church.
The ceremony, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT), will be attended by 30.000 personas and will be broadcast to a global audience on television. Over the next year, it is expected that more than 30 million pilgrims arrive in Rome to participate in the celebrations.
The Jubilee tradition includes passing through the Holy Door, a normally closed entrance in the St. Peter’s Basilicawhich opens only during the jubilee years. The faithful who pass through the door will be able to receive a plenary indulgence, a form of forgiveness for their sins, making the event a moment of deep reflection and spiritual penance.
Despite cold symptoms that have plagued the 88-year-old pontiff in recent days, Francis will also preside over the christmas eve mass and he will give his blessingThe city and the world” on Christmas Day. His health condition led him to be absent from angelus prayer Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, which he broadcast from his residence in the Vatican.
Jubilee 2025 has mobilized the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of Rome. A contingent of 700 agents will be deployed around the city and the Vatican to ensure protection during the celebrations. The measures were strengthened after the car attack at a Christmas market in Germany last week.
Rome has also undergone several renovations in preparation for the event. Emblematic monuments such as Trevi Fountain and the Sant’Angelo Bridge have been restored, while new infrastructure, such as a tunnel in the Piazza Piawere inaugurated to facilitate the flow of traffic. The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni He highlighted the efforts made: “It has been a small civil miracle.”
The Jubilee, celebrated every 25 years since 1300, remains a deeply traditional event, but this edition has incorporated modern elements. Pilgrims can register online and use multilingual mobile applications to navigate the events. In addition, the Vatican presented a mascot called “Luce”, inspired by Japanese anime, with the aim of connecting with younger audiences.
The motto of Jubilee 2025, “Pilgrims of Hope”, reflects its universal and inclusive character. Groups from diverse backgrounds will participate, including entrepreneurs, artists, youth, migrants and LGBTQ communities. Among those registered is the Italian group Jonathan’s Tenthighlighting the Pope’s call for a Church open to all.
On Thursday, Francisco will continue with the jubilee events in the Rebibbia prisonwhere he will open a Holy Door and celebrate a mass, as a show of support for the inmates and their reintegration.
Furthermore, the Supreme Pontiff launched, on the occasion of the Jubilee, the book “Hope never disappoints”which was edited by the Argentine journalist Hernán Reyes Alcaide, and which contains a surprising revelation: he rehearses a request for forgiveness from the middle class.
“I want to take advantage of these pages to apologize to all the people who feel part of the middle class worldwide and consider that I do not refer to their situation as often as I should. I especially think of those who have to sacrifice more to make ends meet, those who have to pay very high rents while watching the price of food and public services rise, those who cannot save, those who perhaps leave their children behind. a worse situation than what they received,” Francisco highlights in the text, which also had the collaboration of Ana Clara Pérez Cotten, another Argentine journalist.
The Pope will take advantage of the occasion to reiterate his calls for peace. In his Christmas message, he is expected to address global conflicts, with special emphasis on Middle East. This weekend, Francis criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, calling the attacks that have claimed the lives of children “cruel,” prompting an indignant response from Israel.
Jubilee 2025 will run throughout the year, with a packed agenda of masses, exhibitions, conferences and concerts in Rome and around the world. This will be followed by an extraordinary Jubilee in 2033, which will commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
(With information from AFP)
