The Door to Eternal Life
The message imparted by the Holy Door is that God’s Mercy reaches out to mankind’s frailty
Today, on Christmas Eve, Pope Francis will inaugurate the Holy Year. After the opening of the Holy Door of the Vatican Basilica, he will pass through it as the first pilgrim of hope, and he will be followed by about 50 people representing believers all over the world. The ceremony will be attended by representatives of other Christian Churches. The event will be preceded by a concert of bells announcing the opening of the Jubilee Year.
The Door to Eternal Life
The Holy Gate in the Vatican Basilica was opened for the first time on Christmas Eve 1499 during the pontificate of Alexander VI. In 2000, it was opened by John Paul II on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of 2000 years of Christianity, and in 2015 by Francis, who convened the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Now it will reopen the same Holy Door, which was walled up after the last jubilee. They are one of the five entrances to St. Peter's Basilica and were founded on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Year 1950. On the outer doorframe there are sixteen bronze reliefs depicting the history of the Redemption and constituting a catechesis on human fall and sin and God's forgiveness. In the bull "Spes non confundit", which he announced for the Jubilee 2025, Francis emphasized that "the Holy Door symbolizes the passage to salvation – the way to new and eternal life that Jesus opened to humanity".
The opening ceremony of the Holy Door is six centuries old and with minor corrections it has survived to our times. The rhythm is given by prayer, singing, silence and reading the Gospel. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the vestibule of the basilica, where the Gospel of John will be proclaimed: "I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved." With the words of Psalm 118, Francis will become the first pilgrim of hope by crossing "the door of the Lord, through which the righteous will enter". When Francis opens the Holy Door, all the bells of the Vatican Basilica will ring, announcing the joy of this event.
The first pilgrims of hope
The Pope will be followed by about fifty other pilgrims, starting with concelebrating cardinals, bishops and priests, through representatives of other Christian Churches and representatives of five continents. This procession will represent all the men and women of the world to whom the Jubilee wishes to bring the good news of the "Hope that does not disappoint" at a time when more than thirty countries in the world are ravaged by armed conflicts.
Specific signs
At the request of pope Francis, a statue of Our Lady of Hope was brought to Vatican for the opening ceremony of the Jubilee. It comes from the Italian town of Battipaglia and will be set up at the Confession of St. Peter until 6 January. It depicts Mary holding a rosary in her hand and presenting to the world baby Jesus. She supports herself with one hand on the cross, the base of which is an anchor.
For centuries, the faithful have associated with this statue the message of hope, flowing from the death and resurrection of Christ, who, having conquered death, became an anchor of hope for humanity.
The presence of this particular image of Our Lady in the Vatican Basilica indicates the Marian character of the pontificate of pope Francis, who opens the second jubilee in the Church. After Mercy, the time for Hope came.
379 Jubilee Days
In addition to the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Door will be opened in three other papal basilicas of Rome. Francis will do it personally in St. Peter's Basilica, in the other three it will be done by his representatives: on December 29 in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, on January 1 in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and on January 5 in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In addition, on December 26, the Holy Father will open the Holy Door in the Roman prison of Rebibbia in an extraordinary gesture.
The opening ceremony of the Holy Door was introduced by Pope Alexander VI Borgia, who planned to open it on Christmas Eve in the year preceding the Jubilee and close it on the Feast of the Epiphany in the year following the Jubilee.
According to this tradition, the Holy Year lasts in the Church 379 Jubilee days, after which the Holy Door is closed for another 25 years, until the next Ordinary Jubilee, unless the Pope proclaims an extraordinary Jubilee along the way, such as the Jubilee of Mercy. This Holy Year will end with the closing of the Holy Door of the Vatican Basilica on January 6, 2026.
Brothers and Sisters, let us join in our prayers the Holy Father at the opening of the Holy Door. Many of us participating in our pilgrimage will have the opportunity to enter through this Holy Door
Merry Christmas
fr. george