Pilgrims pass through Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 26, 2024 / 15:30 pm

Pilgrims from around the world are passing through the open Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve to begin the 2025 Jubilee.

The faithful from different parts of the world and from different walks of life have already passed through the open Holy Door that symbolizes Christ.

In his Christmas Day message, Pope Francis recalled that “the door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us.”

“Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by him, let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with him. God always forgives, God forgives everything; let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by him,” the Holy Father urged.

“This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the jubilee,” Pope Francis emphasized. “It represents Jesus, the door of salvation open to all.”

“Jesus is the door that the merciful Father has opened in the midst of the world, in the midst of history, so that we can all return to him,” he added.

“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. The door is open, wide open. There is no need to knock,” the pope said, only to walk through.

On Thursday, the Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison was also opened. In the coming days, other Holy Doors are also being opened in Rome.

The dates for opening the Holy Doors of the other three papal basilicas in Rome, in addition to St. Peter’s, are St. John Lateran on Dec. 29; St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025; and St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5, 2025.

The Jubilee of Hope, which celebrates the 2,025th anniversary of the birth of Jesus, will officially end on Jan. 6, 2026.

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This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Walter Sánchez Silva is a senior writer for ACI Prensa (https://www.aciprensa.com). With more than 15 years of experience, he has reported from important ecclesial events in Europe, Asia and Latin America during the pontificates of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
E-mail: walter@aciprensa.com