Papal Jubilee in Rome - What's it all about?

Are you planning to make the almighty pilgrimage for the Papal Jubilee in Rome?

Stick with me to learn everything you need to know about the Jubilee celebrations set for 2025!

Everything you need to know about the Papal Jubilee year in Rome

If you’re planning to visit Rome in the near future, you may have heard about the upcoming 2025 Jubilee year.

And if you’re not an active member of the Catholic Church (or don’t know its customs!), you might be wondering what the Jubilee is, what it entails and what you’ll be able to access while it’s in session.

This rundown of the Papal Jubilee in Rome will take you through everything you need to know about the upcoming celebrations.

From the definition and history of the Jubilee to the events you should expect during a trip, you’ll find it all here.

Now let’s get to it.

On this page we'll be taking a look at:

• What is a Jubilee Year
• The history of Papal Jubilees
• The opening of the Holy Doors
• What events happen in Rome during a Jubilee year
• What to expect from the 2025 Jubilee celebrations

What is a Jubilee Year?

A Jubilee in the Catholic Church is a year-long celebration that happens every 25 years and is said to be a time to re-establish a relationship with God.

It’s a year that includes special Masses, thanksgiving to God, and a lot of pilgrimages.

As you can imagine, Rome gets packed!

It’s when the Church offers faithful followers the chance to ask for “plenary indulgence” and receive forgiveness for their own sins and the sins of any deceased relatives.

During the Jubilee, Catholics can go to confession and receive the Eucharist by making a pilgrimage to any of the major basilicas in Rome or a cathedral of a local diocese.

If they do this, they receive a “plenary indulgence”.

An ordinary Jubilee is when the community comes together on the typical 25-year mark.

On the other hand, an extraordinary Jubilee happens when holy years are called for outside of the typical cycle.

So, before or after the usual 25-year Jubilee event.

When such extraordinary Jubilees happen, it’s usually because a particular theme or event has cropped up. 

The most recent extraordinary Jubilee took place between December 2015 and November 2016 under Pope Francis.

It was called the “Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy” and was designed to direct the Church’s attention to mercy (as you might expect!).

It’s also worth mentioning that this Jubilee marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Closing.

The history of Papal Jubilees

The Jubilee process itself was born from Jewish tradition and was meant to be a time for universal pardon. 

In the Old Testament (Leviticus 25:10), the text claimed that: "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of Jubilee”.

So, it truly is an age-old tradition.

In Western Christianity, the very first Jubilee took place in 1300 under Pope Boniface VIII.

It came when there was a lot of general suffering from plagues, poverty, and wars.

So to bring the community together and mark the beginning of a new century, the pope declared a special year of reconciliation. 

By creating the Jubilee, the pope intended for the Church to give pilgrims to Rome indulgences and strength that would soften the terrible times they were dealing with.

After the first Jubilee went down well, Boniface declared that they should take place every one hundred years.

But they were so popular that Pope Clement VI moved the Jubilee event to every 50 years.

Just a few decades later, Pope Urban VI stated that the Jubilees would take place every 33 years in remembrance of the life of Christ.

It wasn’t until the late 1400's that the 25-year rule came into place (and has remained ever since).

Important previous Catholic jubilees

There are a few major Jubilees that have taken place over the years. The most famous of these are:

• 1425: Martin V celebrated a Jubilee that marked the opening of the St John Lateran Holy Door for the first time.
• 1450: Pope Nicholas V marked the last Jubilee in the 50-year cycle.
• 1675: Under Clement X, the Colosseum was reconsecrated and the permission to hold bull fights there was rescinded.
• 1875: Jubilees resumed after the Napoleonic wars and took place after the annexation of Rome. This marked the resumption of the government of the Papal States.
• 1933: An extraordinary Jubilee was announced to mark the 1900th anniversary of the death of Jesus. It featured an impressive 620 speeches across the year, with 2 million pilgrims visiting Rome.
• 1975: The Jubilee in this year was dedicated to reconciliation.
• 1983: Pope John Paul held a Jubilee to celebrate the 1950th anniversary of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
• 2000: Pope John Paul II proclaimed this as the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Over the year, the pope made a public request for forgiveness of sins committed in history. There was also a World Youth Day in Rome held during this Jubilee. Another major standout moment was the pope’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, joining the Catholic Church, Judaism, and Islam.
• 2015: Pope Francis declared a Jubilee for the end of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis stated that this was the Jubilee dedicated to mercy.

The opening of the Holy Doors

The opening of the Holy Doors is probably the most famous part of any Jubilee year, and it marks the beginning of the year-long event.

It involves the pope striking the brick wall that closes of the door with a silver gavel which signals the opening of the Church to the pilgrims who descend on Rome. 

The doors are said to symbolize the Gates of Mercy opening, giving a clear sign that God is asking the pilgrims to repent and make the journey from sin to grace.

So, by going through these special doors, the pilgrims should receive any plenary indulgences associated with the Jubilee year.

The first door opened is the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

The other holy doors that open are the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major).

These four doors belong to the four papal basilicas in Rome.

At the end of the holy year, the pope himself will close the door in a dedicated ceremony.

It’s then bricked up again, marking the official end of the Jubilee.

What events take place in Rome during a Jubilee year?

The beginning of the Jubilee celebration always starts with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Doors of the Basilica of St. John Lateran will open the following Sunday before the final doors are opened. 

Doors of Mercy will also open at local cathedrals at the same time as the second set of doors.

The door ceremonies for the upcoming Jubilee are set to take place at the end of December 2024 (or early January 2025).

2025 Jubilee theme

The theme of the 2025 Jubilee will be “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it may well offer local pilgrimage sites for those who can’t travel to Rome.

This is yet to be confirmed.

Along with the typical Holy Door ceremony, there will also be special Papal audiences and themed Masses.

Pilgrims will also be encouraged to give confessions to receive Jubilee indulgences, which can take place at either of the basilicas in Rome. 

Just as a heads up, there will also be a large number of pilgrims visiting Rome from all over the world, so it’ll be crowded in parts of the city.

What to expect from the 2025 Jubilee celebrations

If you’re planning to head to Rome as a pilgrim, the general run through of events above should give you a decent idea of what to expect.

But if you’re visiting Rome as a tourist during the Jubilee year, you’ll need to prepare for crowds.

Everywhere around the Vatican City will be busy, and access to St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums will be restricted at times.

For that reason, planning your trip precisely will be crucial.

One positive aspect of the Jubilee year is that the city will be virtually pristine.

Work is well underway to get Rome in tip-top shape for the celebration, meaning the streets are sure to be spotless (or close to, anyway!).

These clean-up sessions might affect access to certain streets, so it’s worth checking for any closures before you travel.

We'll be adding more information to this page as new details about the 2025 holy year celebrations get released, so keep checking back!

Current works and restricted views

At the time of writing, these are the top sights and areas that are currently affected by the Jubilee preparations:

Piazza Navona

The fountains in Piazza Navona are all undergoing a deep cleaning and conservation works.

Both the central Fountain of Four Rivers and fountains at either end of the piazza are affected, with hoarding in place.

There are gaps in the fences so you can see in at points, but no water is flowing and you cannot get close to the fountains.

Piazza della Rotonda and the Pantheon

There is no work being done on the Pantheon itself, but there are works in place on the piazza in front of it.

The central fountain and obelisk are being cleaned and renovated, with a significant amount of space fenced off for these works.

You can still visit the Pantheon as normal, but the way the piazza is shaped and the fenced-off area makes it more difficult to get great pictures from the outside.

Termini station

Some of the most significant works are at Termini station, the main hub for trains, buses and the metro.

A complete redesign of the space in front of the station is underway, which is being renovated to create a more inviting public space and better flow of traffic for buses and taxis.

This should not impact you significantly, as the bus stops have all been moved closer to the train station and walkways have been added for pedestrians.

If you are looking to get on a bus at Termini, you'll need to find your bus stop which will be on one of the long walkways.

There are multiple stops along each walkway so make sure you're at the right place for your bus.

St Peter's Basilica

Within St Peter's Basilica both the Pietà (by Michelangelo) and the bronze canopy over the altar are currently being restored and are hidden from view.

The rest of the basilica interior is as normal right now, but be prepared for sections to be cordoned off or out of view as we get closer to December.

How crowded will it be in 2025?

While parts of Rome will likely be busier, the new normal is that Rome is pretty much always busy.

The good news is that pilgrims will be coming through the year and so will not be concentrated at one time.

Top sights like the Colosseum and Vatican Museums will continue to be very popular but if you look at visiting smaller and lesser-known sites, you should be able to get in no problem.