Pope Francis officially launched the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year on Tuesday evening by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in a ceremony on Christmas Eve. 

The symbolic act began a year-long celebration, which will run until January 6, 2026. 

The event occurred just before the Christmas Eve Mass, the Nativity of Our Lord, and was broadcast to millions worldwide, including an audience in Uganda through the Uganda Catholic Television. 

At precisely 9:15 pm Ugandan time, the Pope, who was in a wheelchair and assisted by aides, knocked on the door. Before it opened for him to enter, and paused for a silent prayer.

The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica rang joyously to reflect the significance of entering the Jubilee Year.

Over the next 12 months, pilgrims will pass through the large bronze Holy Door, which is normally closed. By tradition, those who walk through it will receive a “plenary indulgence,” a special form of forgiveness for their sins. This act symbolizes the spiritual renewal and reconciliation that the Jubilee Year invites for all believers.

A Holy Year, or Jubilee, is a special occasion in the Catholic Church focused on themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and spiritual renewal.

The 2025 Jubilee Year is especially significant, as it commemorates the 2,025th anniversary of the birth of Christ.

In Uganda, Bishop Joseph Antony Zziwa, the Chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana, announced that each diocese will prepare a schedule of events for the faithful to participate and mark the Jubilee Year.

Bishop Zziwa also revealed that local bishops will replicate the Pope’s Holy Door opening ceremony on December 29, 2024, to usher in the Jubilee Year celebrations across the country.

By Our Reporter

25 Dec 2024

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