Jubilee Year of Hope, Comes to an End

The closing of the Holy Door at Saint Mary Major took place on Christmas Day, with the Cardinal Archpriest of the papal basilica inviting the faithful to remain open to hearing the Word, welcoming the other, and forgiveness. The tolling of the ‘Sperduta,’ the ancient bell that evokes the spirit of pilgrimage, accompanied the closing of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

At dusk on December 25, the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, pilgrims attended the ancient rite, presided over by Cardinal Archpriest Rolandas Makrickas. “As we close this Holy Door, we believe that the heart of the Risen One, an inexhaustible source of new life, remains always open to those who hope in Him,” he said.

Then, in silence, the Cardinal ascended the steps leading to the Holy Door. And still in silence, he knelt on the threshold, pausing in prayer. Finally, he rose and closed the doors. “Today we saw the Holy Door close,” the Cardinal emphasized, “but the door that truly matters remains the door of our heart: it opens when we listen to the Word of God, it expands when we welcome our brothers and sisters, and it is strengthened when we forgive and ask for forgiveness.”

Cardinal Makrickas invited the faithful to translate the powerful moments of the Jubilee into renewed prayer, concrete attention to the poor, reconciliation in families, creative commitment in work, and a merciful presence in the community. Only in this way can we have the courage to be “a Church with the Gospel in our hands and our brothers and sisters in our hearts.”

The Holy Door of the Liberian Basilica was the first of the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas to be closed. On the morning of Saturday, December 27th, it will be the turn of Saint John Lateran, while the following day, Sunday, December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Family, it will be the turn of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The rites will be presided over by the respective archpriests, Cardinal Baldassare Reina and Cardinal James Michael Harvey.

Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica on January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. This door will remain closed until 2033, when the Church will celebrate 2,000 years of the Resurrection of Christ. Two Holy Doors remain open in Rome: at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls and at St. Peter’s Basilica.