Pope Francis will launch a centuries-old Catholic tradition on Christmas Eve and introduce a first historical addition to the holy ritual.
Starting December 24, the pontiff will open a series of five holy doors throughout the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as three other basilicas in Rome, to begin next year’s jubilee of the Catholic Church – a joyous commemoration of the faith which normally takes place every 25 years. .
Saint Peter’s Gate was sealed by a brick wall since the Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy in 2016 and, on December 2, these were torn off to prepare the door to open as is part of the rite of “recognition”.
After this Christmas Eve ritual, Pope Francis will open a symbolic door inside the Roman prison of Rebibbia on December 26, the feast of St. Stephen.
It will be the first time that a pope will open a holy door in a prison, reported the Denver Catholic.
“I think of the prisoners who, deprived of their liberty, daily feel the harshness of detention and its restrictions, the lack of affection and, in many cases, the lack of respect,” Pope Francis said.
“In order to offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I myself would like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and renewed confidence.”
The aim of opening the doors later this month is to usher in a year “renewed in hope” as Christians find Christ as “the door of our salvation”, Pope Francis said. wrote in a proclamation, or “bubble of indication,” for the 2025 one-year celebration.
“The word of God helps us find the reasons for this hope,” he added. “In the heart of every person, hope lives as the desire and expectation of good things to come, even if we do not know what the future holds. »
On Sunday, December 29, Pope Francis will open the holy door of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, of which he is also bishop.
Then, on New Year’s Day – also a holy day of obligation, the Solemnity of Mary – the holy door of the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, outside the Vatican in Rome, will be opened.
Finally, on Sunday, January 5, Pope Francis will open the fifth and final holy door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
The Catholic tradition of celebrating a jubilee began in the 1300s and initially occurred every 100 years instead of 25.
For centuries, the Holy Doors have been opened in the four Roman basilicas to mark the beginning of memorable years for the Church.
In modern times, Pope John Paul II also celebrated a jubilee in 2000, writing at the time about the importance of the Holy Doors in relation to faith.
“Focusing on the door is a reminder of the responsibility of each believer to cross its threshold. Passing through this door means confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord; it is to strengthen faith in him in order to live the new life that he has given us”, John Paul II wrote.
“It is a decision that supposes the freedom to choose and also the courage to leave something behind, knowing that what is acquired is divine life.”