Since Pope began Jubilee half a million pilgrims have entered Holy Door of Saint Peter’s

Elise Ann Allen/ Crux• January 8, 2025

Already more than half a million pilgrims have come to participate in the Jubilee of Hope since Pope Francis inaugurated the 2025 Jubilee year on Christmas Eve.

According to a 7 January press release from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelisation, which is overseeing the organisation of the Jubilee, some 545,532 pilgrims from all over the world have already crossed through the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica since Pope Francis officially opened it during a ceremony on 24 December.

“Hundreds of groups of faithful have already made their pilgrimage, starting from the new Piazza Pia, with the Jubilee cross above their heads, and moving in prayer along the Via della Conciliazione, until reaching the basilica,” stated the press release, referring to the special pilgrim-path along the main street leading up to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation and the official in charge of organising the Jubilee, called the numbers thus far “a very significant beginning, with a large turnout of people”.

Fisichella added: “The groups that crowd the Via della Conciliazione are giving an important witness, and this is also a sign of the great perception of security and protection that the pilgrims experience in the city of Rome and in the vicinity of the four papal basilicas.”

There are a total of four basilicas in Rome with papal status, each of which has its own Holy Door for jubilee years, including St. Peter’s in the Vatican; Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Wall.

The 2025 Jubilee of Hope, which has been given the official theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, is a so-called Holy Year that occurs every 25 years in the Catholic Church.

The first-ever Holy Year was established by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 and was celebrated every 100 years; however, later, following biblical tradition, it was observed every 50 years. It was finally decided by Pope Paul II in 1490 to observe a Jubilee year every 25 years, so that each person could have the opportunity to experience one in his or her lifetime.

Intended to be a time of conversion with an increased emphasis on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins, jubilees are characterised by the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, and in each of the other papal basilicas in Rome.

The Holy Doors, present in each of the four papal basilicas in Rome, are destination points for pilgrims who travel to Rome during the Jubilee and then pass through them seeking special graces and outpourings of God’s mercy.

The Holy Year of 2025 is the 27th ordinary Jubilee year of the Catholic Church. The last ordinary Jubilee was the Great Jubilee of 2000, celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

A new custom of holding “extraordinary” jubilees, meaning outside of the 25-year rotation, and which can last a few days to a few months, began in the 16th century. There have only been a handful of extraordinary jubilees since, the last being the 2015-2016 Jubilee of Mercy initiated by Pope Francis.

The Jubilee of Hope is due to run until it is closed at the start of 2026 on 6 January, the Catholic feast of the Epiphany.

In its press release, the Dicastery for Evangelisation underlined the priority being given to security around the Vatican for the Jubilee year, saying the Holy See is in “close collaboration” with Italian security forces and with the Diocese of Rome to keep everyone safe.

Ahead of the Jubilee, it was predicted that some 38 million pilgrims would flock to Rome for the Holy Year celebrations, which include special celebratory events for various groups and individuals, as well as the canonisation of highly revered saints-to-be, including Blessed Piero Giorgio Frassatti and Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Given the high number of pilgrims who have already come to Rome for the Jubilee, the number of pilgrims who come throughout the rest of the year is expected to increase, the dicastery said.

“Of course, in these first two weeks there have been some difficulties in managing the flows that need to be evaluated over time, but the dicastery is working tirelessly to ensure that pilgrims receive a welcome and an experience that lives up to their expectations,” Fisichella said.

The dicastery said countless groups from across the world are preparing to come to Rome for jubilee events in the coming months. This is set to include groups and individuals who wish to pass through all four Holy Doors in the four papal basilicas, each of which drew large crowds for the opening of their respective Holy Doors during Christmas.

For those pilgrims who wish to pass through all four, the dicastery said reservations can be made on the official Jubilee website.

The first major Jubilee event following the official inauguration and opening of the four Holy Doors will be held on 24-26 January, with the Jubilee of the World of Communication, for which thousands of journalists from media around the world are expected to come.

Photo: Groups of pilgrims enter St Peter’s Basilica through its Holy Door the day after Pope Francis opened it for the start of the Catholic Jubilee Year 2025, Vatican, Vatican City State, 25 December 2024. Over the next 12 months, pilgrims will pass through the large and imposing bronze door, which is normally closed, in order to benefit from a “plenary indulgence”, a type of forgiveness for their sins. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images.)