Rome Sets Dates to Close Jubilee Holy Doors
As the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope enters its final weeks, the Vatican has confirmed the timetable for closing the Holy Doors across Rome’s major papal basilicas, marking the formal conclusion of a year defined by pilgrimage, prayer, and renewal. The holy year, inaugurated in December 2024, has drawn close to thirty million pilgrims to Rome, many passing through the Holy Doors in search of spiritual renewal and the traditional plenary indulgence. Vatican officials have emphasized that the closing rites are not merely ceremonial but serve as a moment of reflection on the spiritual fruits of the Jubilee. The Holy Doors, which symbolize Christ as the gateway to salvation, will once again be sealed as the Church prepares to return to the ordinary rhythm of liturgical life.
The first Holy Door scheduled to be closed is that of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas. According to the Holy See, the ceremony will take place on December 25 in the early evening and will be followed by the celebration of Mass. The rite will be presided over by the cardinal archpriest of the basilica, reflecting the long standing tradition that each major basilica marks the Jubilee’s conclusion within its own liturgical setting. Two days later, on December 27, the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, will be closed during a solemn liturgy led by the cardinal vicar of Rome, accompanied by sacred music from the diocesan choir. These ceremonies underscore the central role of Rome’s historic churches in the life of the universal Church.
The closing schedule continues on December 28, when the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls will be sealed during a solemn celebration presided over by its cardinal archpriest. Each of these rites follows a pattern rooted in centuries of tradition, combining symbolic gestures with the celebration of the Eucharist. The culmination of the Jubilee Year will take place on January 6, 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, when Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. After sealing the bronze door, the pope will celebrate Mass marking the official conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope and will invite the faithful to look ahead to the Extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption planned for 2033, when the Holy Doors will be reopened.
While the Jubilee has followed the traditional focus on the four papal basilicas, it also included an exceptional pastoral gesture early in the holy year when an additional Holy Door was opened at a prison in Rome as a sign of mercy and hope. That gesture highlighted the Jubilee’s emphasis on reaching those on the margins of society. The Vatican has not yet announced when that door will be closed. As Rome prepares for the final ceremonies, the sealing of the Holy Doors stands as a symbolic threshold, inviting the faithful to carry the Jubilee’s call to hope, reconciliation, and renewal beyond the walls of the basilicas and into everyday life.
