Pope Leo XIV. officially ended the Jubilee Year 2025 by closing the Holy Gate in St. Peter’s Basilica, symbolically ending the period that brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
Pope Leo XIV. before the beginning of the Mass on the occasion of the Feast of the Epiphany in St. Peter’s Basilica, he officially closed the Jubilee Year 2025, during which more than 33 million pilgrims visited Rome for church events. TARS writes about it according to the AP agency.
- Pope Leo XIV. ended the Jubilee year during a solemn mass.
Before the start of the Mass, attended by cardinals and diplomats, the Pope knelt on the stone floor at the threshold of the Holy Gate in St. Peter’s Basilica. He then got up and pulled both doors, symbolically ending the Jubilee year.
Symbolism of the Holy Gates
The Holy Gates are located in four papal Roman basilicas – St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran Basilica, St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls, and the Basilica of Our Lady the Greater. The gates are sealed from the inside with mortar and cement most of the time and are only opened during the Jubilee Year. Pilgrims who pass through the Holy Gate during the Jubilee Year can receive indulgences after fulfilling the conditions.
The jubilee year was opened in December 2024 by Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, and continued during his funeral and conclave. The Catholic Church celebrates it every 25 years, and only once in its history has it been opened and closed by a different pope. It happened in 1700.
Announcement of the next anniversary
Leo XIV. has already announced that the next extraordinary Jubilee year will take place in 2033 on the occasion of the 2000th anniversary of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which according to the church took place in 33 AD
After the Feast of the Epiphany on Wednesday and Thursday, the Pope summoned all the cardinals to the Vatican for the first Papal Consistory since the beginning of his pontificate. This type of meeting is usually reserved for discussing serious doctrinal, institutional, or pastoral issues that concern the entire church. The issue of liturgy is on the agenda, which, according to AP, indicates that Leo XIV. wants to address the schisms in the church in connection with the celebration of the traditional Latin mass.
