A banner of the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica is currently displayed on the church seasonal shelf, just to the right of the sanctuary.  Pope Francis opened the Holy Door the evening of December 24, 2024, and ushered in the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

An Ordinary Jubilee takes place every 25 years. The concept of "Jubilee" has its origins in the Book of Leviticus (chapter 25) as a special year of reconciliation, pilgrimage, and coming home.  Pope Francis has designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time to renew ourselves as "Pilgrims of Hope."

The Holy Door is deemed 'Holy' since it calls all those who enter through it to walk in holiness of life. The origin of the custom goes back to Pope Martin V who, for the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1423, opened a Holy Door to enter the Lateran Basilica.  In St. Peter's, it was first used for the Jubilee of 1450. The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II did so in the Year 2000.

The Jubilee Year is a special year of grace, in which the Church offers the faithful the possibility of obtaining plenary indulgences.  Traditionally, it begins just before Christmas and ends on the Epiphany of the following year. In the United States, the Jubilee Year extends from the feast of the Holy Family (Dec. 29, 2024) until Dec. 28, 2025.

The Holy Father invites us to pray, to prepare ourselves throughout this year, so that this Jubilee may “strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope."

For more information:

Diocese of Cleveland Overview Website

https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/pilgrims-of-hope/overview

USCCB Jubilee Website

https://www.usccb.org/jubilee2025

Vatican Website with details on the panels of the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica

https://stpetersbasilica.info/Interior/HolyDoor/Panels/HD-panels.htm