JUBILEE AND THE HOLY DOORS, Introduction

The Jubilee of Rome is a very special event for the Catholic Church and its faithful, celebrated every 25 years.

From December 24, 2024, to December 24, 2025, the entire year will be dedicated to reconciliation, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal, through a full calendar of events that you can consult on the official Jubilee website: www.iubilaeum2025.va

The central purpose of every Jubilee celebration is to allow pilgrims, coming to Rome from all over the world, to obtain the “plenary indulgence.”

You should know that the term "plenary" comes from the Latin "plenus," which means "full" or "complete." A plenary indulgence is thus the forgiveness of sins committed, which can be obtained by confessing and performing specific acts.

Did you know that the first Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII, in the distant year 1300, with the intent of strengthening the spirituality and sense of community among the faithful?

The pontiff established that the Jubilee would be celebrated every one-hundred years, inspired by the Sabbatical Year of Jewish tradition. The Old Testament indeed states that every fifty years should be celebrated as a year of rest and forgiveness.

The first Jubilee of 1300 was a huge success, and thousands of pilgrims came to Rome to participate. Given the event's great impact, in 1350, Pope Clement VI, decided to increase the frequency of the Jubilee to every fifty years, and later, it was established to take place every twenty-five years, to allow all the faithful to take part at least once in their lives....