A Jubilee is Proclaimed!

Yesterday Pope Francis officially proclaimed a Jubilee Year for 2025. The theme for this year is “hope”, as spelled out in the first words (and therefore title) of the Papal Bull Spes Non Confundit: “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

And what, exactly, is a Jubilee Year? The Vatican has a rather lengthy article, which begins with this definition:

In the Roman Catholic tradition, a Holy Year, or Jubilee is a great religious event. It is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin, it is a year of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. A Jubilee year is above all the year of Christ, who brings life and grace to humanity.

This being the 21st century, there’s a web site and an app with more information.

There are some great things to be found in the Papal Bull, but I particularly like the section on pilgrimage, which is an indispensable part of any Jubilee. I was interested to note that attention is drawn in the Bull to pilgrimage on foot:

Pilgrimage is of course a fundamental element of every Jubilee event. Setting out on a journey is traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life. A pilgrimage on foot is a great aid for rediscovering the value of silence, effort and simplicity of life. In the coming year, pilgrims of hope will surely travel the ancient and more modern routes in order to experience the Jubilee to the full.

The Holy Father particularly invites “the faithful of the Eastern Churches, particularly those already in full communion with the Successor of Peter, to take part in this pilgrimage”.

The Holy Door in the Saint Peter’s Basilica will be opened on Christmas Eve of this year, with the other Roman basilicas to follow. They will remain open until 6 January 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany.