Holy Doors

The Holy Year will begin on Christmas Eve 2024, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome. The Holy Door has a special significance for pilgrims: it is the most powerful sign of the Jubilee, and all pilgrims will seek to pass through. There will be Holy Doors opened in all 4 of the major basilicas of Rome. To enhance the significance of the Holy Doors in Rome, there will be no Holy Doors opened anywhere else in the world.

When we pass through the Holy Door, we are reminded of the passage in St John’s Gospel: “I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.” (John 10:9)

We pass through the Holy Door into the church, a sacred place which is also a place of sanctuary, healing, reconciliation and peace and a symbol of the community of the faithful.