Solemn opening of the Holy Doors

In Spes non confundit, Pope Francis announces that the Jubilee Year will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, 2024.

Later, on 29 December, the Holy Father will open the Holy Door of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome. On the same day, in every Cathedral and co-Cathedral throughout the world, the local Bishop will celebrate Mass to mark the opening of the Jubilee.

On the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, 1 January 2025, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, while the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside-the-Walls will be opened on Sunday, 5 January, the Vigil of Epiphany.

“In the course of the year,” Pope Francis writes, “every effort should be made to enable the People of God to participate fully in its proclamation of hope in God’s grace and in the signs that attest to their efficacy”.

The Jubilee will end in the particular Churches throughout the world on 28 December 2025, the same day in which the Holy Doors of Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major, and Saint Paul’s Outside-the-Walls will be closed.

The Jubilee Year will draw to a close in Rome on the Solemnity of Epiphany, 6 January 2025, when the Holy Doors of Saint Peter's Basilica will be closed again.