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Pope Francis has decided that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope". The Jubilee will provide an important opportunity for people across our global family of faith to enrich their relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation offering hope and healing to a world suffering the effects of war, poverty and deprivation, and the climate crisis. Writing about the Jubilee, Pope Francis said: “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given to us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision… restoring a
climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth.” The Great Jubilee in the Year 2000 ushered the Church into the third millennium of her history; this Jubilee, which takes place 25 years into a new century, offers opportunities for pastoral richness, “deep faith, lively hope, and active charity”.
God desires the just distribution of the Earth’s resources and the principles of the Jubilee
stand against these three things:
- The significant ownership of land and/or wealth at the expense of the wider community.
- Barriers that stop families being able to provide for themselves.
- Monopolies that destroy fair personal or family ownership.
The first Catholic Jubilee was declared by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300, to mark the beginning of a new century. He later recommended it should take place every 100 years, with Pope St Paul II establishing the present 25-year interval in the 1500s. The concept of the Jubilee or “Holy Year” is used in the Catholic Church to declare a special focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, with the theology of Jubilee centred on justice, trust and memory. Jesus demonstrated how the Spirit – as well as the Law – of the Jubilee should work when he challenged abusive behaviour between masters and slaves (Mark 12:1-11; Matthew 21:33- 44; 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-27; 20:9-18) and highlighted how money lending and debt should be fairly negotiated and managed (Matthew 18:23-31; Luke 7:41-43 and 16:1-9).
This year’s Jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with Holy Doors at each of the four papal basilicas offering special Jubilee Year sites of grace and prayer for the many thousands of pilgrims, who pass through them.
According to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter announcing the Jubilee, Spes Non Confundit (Hope does not Disappoint), the Jubilee Year should be characterised by a spirit of reconciliation, mercy, and conversion, echoing the core message of the Gospel which invites us to experience the love of God and encourages the faithful to reflect on their spiritual lives, engage in acts of charity, and foster a sense of community among believers. The Holy Year highlights the importance of pilgrimage, both physically to sacred sites and spiritually in the hearts of the faithful, offering a vibrant invitation to all Christians to renew their commitment to living out the message of Christ in their daily lives, and fostering a spirit of hope and charity in a world that yearns for healing and unity.
The Jubilee will offer people across our global faith family an important opportunity to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. In order for everyone to share in the celebration of the Holy Year, the following diocesan churches have been designated as places of pilgrimage where Holy Year Indulgences may be gained:
35 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome in 2025, with a number of Jubilee celebrations planned in our Diocese, including:
The Jubilee will offer people across our global faith family an important opportunity to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. In order for everyone to share in the celebration of the Holy Year, the following diocesan churches have been designated as places of pilgrimage where Holy Year Indulgences may be gained:
35 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome in 2025, with a number of Jubilee celebrations planned in our Diocese, including:
Cafod and the CBCEW have commissioned a Jubilee icon from Ethiopian artist Mulugeta Araya. The icon depicts Jesus, as told in Luke 4:16-21, teaching that he has been sent to: “proclaim good news to the poor, … liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Read more about the icon here
