The Holy Year was first celebrated in 1300. The regular celebration of Holy Years was established from 1450 to occur every 25 years. The Holy Year 2025 follows the Great Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000 and is the 25th ordinary universal jubilee in the history of the Catholic Church. The organization of the Jubilee 2025 has been entrusted to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization at the request of Pope Francis.
Prior to the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis, in his indicative bull entitled Spes non confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), designates as Holy Doors those in St. Peter's Basilica and in three other papal basilicas, specifically in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. An exception will be a Holy Door in a prison, which the Pope personally wishes to open, "to offer a concrete sign of closeness to the prisoners".
The Jubilee Year 2025 will be inaugurated with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve 2024. The Pope opens the Holy Door of this temple only at the beginning of the Holy Year. Usually, it is the first door that is opened at its start. The first evidence of the ceremony taking place in St. Peter's Basilica dates back to 1500 during the pontificate of Alexander VI.
The Holy Door symbolizes Christ and His mercy. Christ Himself is the door to the Father. During each holy year, millions of pilgrims pass through this door. It is especially symbolic that the Holy Door can only be entered and not exited. To pass through this door means to express the commitment to enter into Christ's heart, to resonate with Him, and to accept the merciful embrace of the Father. Jesus Himself says about Himself: "I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved" (John 10:9).
On December 29, the Pope will open the Holy Door of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. On the same day, local bishops will celebrate Mass in all cathedrals and co-cathedrals worldwide to mark the beginning of the Jubilee.
On the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, January 1, 2025, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, January 5, during the Vigil of the Epiphany.
The Jubilee will conclude on December 28, 2025, in local churches around the world, with the Holy Doors of St. John Lateran Basilica and the Basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul Outside the Walls closing on the same day. The Jubilee Year will be formally concluded in Rome on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2026.
A significant aspect of the holy years is the call to forgiveness in all relationships and at all levels, which is also related to the possibility of obtaining so-called indulgences. The Vatican office "Apostolic Penitentiary" has published a decree containing the norms for obtaining indulgences during the Holy Year 2025. In the bull Spes non confundit issued for the Jubilee Year, it is stated that the term "indulgence" is synonymous with "mercy", as it is meant to express the fullness of God's forgiveness, which knows no bounds.
source: cirkev.cz