The 2025 Jubilee is a

jubilee in the Catholic Church A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins, debts and universal pardon. In the Book of Leviticus, a jubilee year is mentioned as occurring every 50th year (after 49 years, 7x7, as per Leviticus 25:8) during which slaves and prisoners would ...

celebrated in the year

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, announced by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

at the end of the 2000

Great Jubilee The Great Jubilee in 2000 was a major event in the Catholic Church, held from Christmas Eve (24 December) 1999 to Epiphany (holiday), Epiphany (6 January) 2001. Like previous Jubilee in the Catholic Church, Jubilee years, it was a celebration of ...

. This jubilee was preceded by the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy of 2015–2016. The

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

proclaiming the Jubilee is "''Spes non confundit''" (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "Hope does not disappoint"). It runs from

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

(24 December) 2024 to Epiphany (6 January) 2026.

Preparation

At the close of the 2000 Great Jubilee, Pope John Paul II spoke to the children of the world, noting that the children and young people of that time would be "the leading players at the next Jubilee in 2025". On 26 December 2021,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

entrusted the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization with the task of making preparations for the Jubilee, since he considered it fundamental for the strengthening of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. On 3 January 2022, at a meeting held in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, it was determined that the motto of the event would be "Pilgrims of Hope". On 22 February the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization called a competition to design the official logo of the 2025 Jubilee, with the main prompt being that the participants base their submissions on the motto. The Pontifical Council would choose the design which communicated the message the best. The competition was open until 20 May, and at the end of June 2022, the official logo was presented. The papal bull of convocation, named , took place 9 May 2024, coinciding with the Solemnity of the Ascension. It explains the necessary indications for the celebration of the Jubilee, in which several points were highlighted, among which the following stand out: * A word of hope * A path of hope * Signs of hope * Appeals to hope * Anchored in hope On 28 October, the Vatican launched an anime-influenced mascot named "

Luce Luce may refer to: People * Luce (name), as a given name and a surname * Luce (singer) Places * Luče, a town in Slovenia * Luce, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * Luce Bay, a large Bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland * Luce ...

" (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

for "light") for the 2025 Jubilee, intending to engage a younger audience.

Logo, hymn and prayer

The logo depicts four people in “pilgrims' capes” following the Cross. They represent all humanity arriving from the four cardinal points. The figures embrace to represent the fraternity of all humanity. The Cross is held by the first person and represents the clinging to hope and faith. The people stand on waves representing that the pilgrimage of life is not always smooth. The group of pilgrims also represents that the pilgrimage that is life is communal.

Events

Holy Doors

Opening and closing of the Holy Doors of the four major papal basilicas in Rome, normally sealed with mortar and cement, signal the beginning and end of the jubilee: A fifth door, located at the Roman prison in Rebibbia, was opened on 26 December 2024. The act is intended to serve as a symbol "inviting all prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence". This was the first time a prison door has been opened to mark the commencement of a jubilee. On 9 January 2025, archbishop Santo Marcianò of the Military Ordinariate of Italy designated

naval ship A naval ship (or naval vessel) is a military ship (or sometimes boat, depending on classification) that is used by a navy. Naval ships are differentiated from civilian ships by construction and purpose. Generally, naval ships are damage resili ...

''Amerigo Vespucci'' as a 2025 Jubilee church and site “for sacred pilgrimages and for pious visits among its missions at sea.”

Chronology

The jubilee began on

(24 December) 2024, with Francis knocking on the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican from his wheelchair. The door was swung open and Francis rolled through the doorway as the basilica's Christmas Eve

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

began. During the first two weeks of the jubilee, more than 545,000 pilgrims passed through the Holy Door of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In the first month of the jubilee, this number exceeded 1.3 million pilgrims. More than 30 million pilgrims are expected to pass through during the year, according to the organisers of the jubilee, the Dicastery for Evangelisation. The year includes a number of subsidiary thematic jubilees: for example, the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture was held between 15 and 18 February, the Jubilee of the Missionaries of Mercy is from 28 to 30 March, and the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly takes place from 30 May to 1 June. During the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, among others, producer

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

, actress

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model who began her career as a fashion model before working in Italian, American, and French films. She has an eclectic filmography in a range of genres and langua ...

, designer

Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti (; born 26 February 1943) is an Italian production designer, art director, and costume designer. Biography Throughout his career, Ferretti has worked with many acclaimed directors, both American and Italian, including Pier Paol ...

, scenarist

Abel Ferrara Abel Ferrara (; born July 19, 1951) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best ...

, writers Nadia Terranova and Luca Doninelli, and singers Gigi D'Alessio and Enrico Ruggeri registered for participation. It started with a general audience in St. Peter's Square, following international meeting "Sharing Hope – Horizons of

Cultural Heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

" in

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums (; ) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the best-known Roman sculptures and ...

. The next day was opening of the Window Gallery - Conciliazione 5, located in

Via della Conciliazione Via della Conciliazione ("Road of the Conciliation") is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constr ...

, and presentation of the "Yan Pei-Ming" project by Roman

prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

s. The 2025 Jubilee was briefly interrupted following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. On May 8,

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

was elected as his successor. This marks the third time two popes have presided over a Jubilee, after those of 1390 (

Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

and Bonfiace IX), and 1700 ( Innocent XII and

Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

List of Jubilee events presided by Francis

*2024 ** 24 December: Opening of the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica ** 26 December: Opening of Holy Door at Rebibbia Prison ** 29 December: Opening of Holy Door at St John Lateran's *2025 ** 1 January: Opening of Holy Door at St Mary Major's ** 5 January: Opening of Holy Door at St Paul's outside the Walls ** 24–26 January: Jubilee of the World of Communications ** 8–9 February: Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel ** 15–18 February: Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture ** 21–23 February: Jubilee of Deacons ** 8–9 March: Jubilee of the World of Volunteering ** 28 March: 24 Hours for the Lord ** 28–30 March: Jubilee of Priests Instituted as "Missionaries of Mercy" ** 5–6 April: Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers ** 13 April: Palm Sunday ** 20 April: Easter Sunday

''Sede vacante''

*2025 ** ''21–26 April: Death and funeral of Pope Francis'' ** 25–27 April: Jubilee of Teenagers ** 28–29 April: Jubilee of People with Disabilities ** 1–4 May: Jubilee of Workers ** 4–5 May: Jubilee of Entrepreneurs ** ''7–8 May:

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

List of Jubilee events presided by Leo XIV

*2025 ** 10–11 May: Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment ** 12–14 May: Jubilee of the Eastern Churches ** 16–18 May: Jubilee of Confraternities ** ''18 May: Papal inauguration of Pope Leo XIV'' ** 30 May–1 June: Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly ** 7–8 June: Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities ** 9 June: Jubilee of the Holy See ** 14–15 June: Jubilee of Sport ** 20–22 June: Jubilee of Governments ** 23–24 June: Jubilee of Seminarians ** 25 June: Jubilee of Bishops ** 25–27 June: Jubilee of Priests ** 28 July–3 August: Jubilee of Youth ** 28-29 July: Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers ** 15 September: Jubilee of Consolation ** 20 September: Jubilee of Justice ** 26–28 September: Jubilee of Catechists ** 4–5 October: Jubilee of the Missions ** 4–5 October: Jubilee of Migrants ** 8–9 October: Jubilee of Consecrated Life ** 11–12 October: Jubilee of Marian Spirituality ** 27 October–2 November: Jubilee of the World of Education ** 16 November: Jubilee of the Poor ** 22–23 November: Jubilee of Choirs ** 14 December: Jubilee of Prisoners

Conspiracy theories

In December 2024, various viral posts on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Facebook claimed falsely that the pope would be opening "spiritual portals" or "sacred portals" in a "never-before-performed" ritual. Some posts also claimed falsely that the ritual included opening a "tomb of Lucifer" under the Vatican. The claim of a new ritual appeared to stem from a ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' article with a misleading title referring to the opening of the additional Rebibbia prison door. It is unclear where the Tomb of Lucifer claim originated; however, Bible scholar Daniel McClellan suggested that a tomb in the Vatican Necropolis labeled as the "Tomb of Lucifer" may have begun the rumor, and explained that in pre-Constantinian times when the tomb was constructed the name Lucifer did not have Satanic connotations, with contemporary Christians even having Lucifer as their personal name.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Catholic Church 2024 in Christianity 2025 in Christianity 2026 in Christianity 2024 in Vatican City 2025 in Vatican City 2026 in Vatican City Death of Pope Francis Jubilee (Christianity) Pope Leo XIV