The 2025 Jubilee is a jubilee in the Catholic Church being celebrated in the year 2025. It was announced by Pope John Paul II at the end of the Great Jubilee.[1] This jubilee was preceded by the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy of 2015–2016.[2] The Papal bull proclaiming the Jubilee is «Spes non confundit», (Latin for «Hope does not disappoint»).[3]
| Native name | Iubilaeum A.D. 2025 |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 December 2024 – 6 January 2026 |
| Location | Worldwide (symbolically in Vatican City) |
| Website | www |
It began on Christmas Eve (24 December) 2024 and will continue until Epiphany (6 January) 2026.
Preparation
editAt the close of the 2000 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".[4]
On 26 December 2021, Pope Francis 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.[5]
On 3 January 2022, at a meeting held in Rome, it was determined that the motto of the event would be "Pilgrims of Hope".[6] 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 off of the motto. The Pontifical Council would choose the design which communicated the message the best. The competition was open until 20 May,[7] and at the end of June 2022, the official logo was presented.[8]
The papal bull of convocation,[9] named Spes non confundit, 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:[10]
- A word of hope
- A path of hope
- Signs of hope
- Appeals to hope
- Anchored in hope[11]
On 28 October, the Vatican launched a cartoon mascot named "Luce" (Italian for 'light') for the 2025 Jubilee, intending to engage a younger audience.[12]
Events
editHoly Doors
editOpening and closing of the Holy Doors of the four major papal basilicas in Rome signal the beginning and end of the jubilee:[3]
| Basilica | Opening date | Closing date | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican | 24 December 2024 | 6 January 2026 | 
|
| St. John Lateran Basilica | 29 December 2024 | 28 December 2025 | 
|
| Basilica of Saint Mary Major | 1 January 2025 | 
| |
| Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls | 5 January 2025 | ,_Heilige_Pforte_3.jpg)
|
The jubilee began on Christmas Eve (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 began.[13]
A fifth door, located at the Roman prison in Rebibbia, will be 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 will be the first time a prison door has been opened to mark the commencement of a jubilee.[14]
Conspiracy theories
editIn December 2024, viral posts on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Facebook variously claiming falsely that the pope would be opening "spiritual portals" or "sacred portals"[a] in a "never-before-performed" ritual. Some posts also erroneously claimed that the ritual included opening a "tomb of Lucifer" under the Vatican.[15][16][17] The claim of a new ritual appeared to stem from a New York Post article with a misleading title referring to the opening of the additional Rebibbia prison door.[15] It is unclear where the Tomb of Lucifer claim originated; however, Bible scholar Daniel McClellan stated that a tomb in the Vatican Necropolis labeled as the "Tomb of Lucifer" may have began the rumor and explained that that in pre-Constantinian times when the tomb was constructed, the name Lucifer did not have Satanic connotations and that contemporary Christians even had Lucifer as their personal name.[15][17]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Juan Pablo II (5 January 2001). "Discurso del santo padre Juan Pablo II al final de la fiesta-concierto que le ofrecieron los niños". Retrieved 18 January 2024.
[...] vosotros, que hoy sois niños y muchachos, formaréis mañana la primera generación de cristianos adultos del tercer milenio. ¡Qué grande es vuestra responsabilidad! Seréis los protagonistas del próximo jubileo, en el año 2025.
- ^ Se trata del nombre otorgado por la Santa Sede. Ver:Pontificio Consejo para la Promoción de la Nueva Evangelización (2016). "Jubileo de la Misericordia. Misericordiosos como el Padre". Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b "SPES NON CONFUNDIT - Bull of indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 - FRANCIS Bishop of Rome". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Pope John Paul II, Address of John Paul II to children from various countries at the closing celebration of the Jubilee, 5 January 2001, accessed 21 January 2024
- ^ "Papa confía organización de Jubileo 2025 a Consejo Pontificio para la Nueva Evangelización". Aciprensa (in Spanish). 26 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Fisichella: El lema del Jubileo 2025 es "peregrinos de la esperanza"". Vatican News (in Spanish). 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Concurso para diseño del nuevo logotipo del Jubileo 2025". vaticannews.va (in Spanish). 22 February 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Agencia Informativa Católica Argentina. ""Peregrinos de la esperanza", presentan el Logo del Jubileo de 2025 - AICA.org". aica.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "La Bula". Jubilaeum 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Pope proclaims Jubilee: 'May hope fill our days!'". Vatican News.com. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Texto completo: Spes non confundit, la bula que convoca el Jubileo Ordinario de la Esperanza". Aciprensa. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ Mares, Courtney (28 October 2024). "Meet 'Luce': The Vatican's cartoon mascot for Jubilee 2025". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Winfield, Nicole (24 December 2024). "Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience". Associated Press. Retrieved 24 December 2024 – via Seattle PI.
- ^ Zengarini, Lisa (24 December 2024). "Pope to open Holy Door in a prison: a message of hope to prisoners". Vatican News. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Kile, Meredith (23 December 2024). "Is the Pope Actually Opening 5 Portals to Other Worlds on Christmas Eve?". VICE.
- ^ Trela, Nate (20 December 2024). "No, the pope isn't opening five portals to other worlds on Christmas Eve | Fact check". USA TODAY. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ a b Esposito, Joey (21 December 2024). "No, Pope Francis Isn't Opening 'Tomb of Lucifer' in Vatican on Christmas Eve". Snopes. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
