The Catholic Church formally concluded the Jubilee Year of Hope with the closing of the Holy Doors of Rome’s four papal basilicas, culminating on January 6 with the sealing of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo XIV.
After a jubilee year not seen for centuries — with one pope opening the Holy Door and another closing it – Pope Leo XIV ended the Jubilee Year of Hope at St Peter’s Basilica January 6 telling the world to love and seek peace, protect what is holy, and flee from modern efficiency. But what really stayed with the faithful – not only the lucky hundreds inside the basilica but also the thousands soaked in the pouring winter rain in St Peter’s Square – was Pope Leo’s urging to keep the church alive. Pilgrims from Europe, Latin America, Africa and beyond echoed the pope’s message, describing renewed faith, unity across cultures, and a call to bring hope home. As the Holy Doors closed, the jubilee was seen by many not as an ending but as a beginning.
The final rite took place on the solemnity of the Epiphany, after a year in which nearly 30 million pilgrims passed through the Holy Doors. After a brief moment of silent prayer at the threshold, Pope Leo closed the bronze panels of the Holy Door before celebrating the concluding Jubilee Mass, marking the official end of the holy year inaugurated by Pope Francis on December 24, 2024.
The closing followed a gradual sequence across Rome. The Holy Door of St Mary Major was closed on December 25, with Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas reminding the faithful that “it is not divine grace that is being closed but a special time for the Church.” He added, “the door that truly matters is the door of the heart.” The Holy Doors of St John Lateran and St Paul Outside the Walls were sealed on December 27 and 28, respectively.
The rite followed the simplified form introduced in 1975, emphasising the door itself as a symbol of Christ, rather than sealing it with masonry. Church officials stressed that the closing marked not an end to grace, but a call to carry the Jubilee’s message into daily Christian life.
The Holy Door of St Peter’s is next scheduled to be reopened in 2033 for the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption.
