What is Jubilee?
“Jubilee” is the name given to a particular year; the name comes from the instrument used to mark its launch.
In this case, the instrument in question is the yobel, the ram’s horn, used to proclaim the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This (Jewish) holiday occurs every year, but it takes on special significance when it marks the beginning of a Jubilee year.
Pope Francis has declared that next year, 2025, will be a Holy Year in the Universal Church. More details of this proclamation can be found here.
The idea of Jubilee has its roots in the Old Testament, with a celebration of a year of forgiveness and reconciliation.
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII called the first Jubilee, also known as a “Holy Year,” since it is a time in which God’s holiness transforms us. The frequency of Holy Years has changed over time: at first, they were celebrated every 100 years; later, in 1343 Pope Clement VI reduced the gap between Jubilees to every 50 years, and in 1470 Pope Paul II made it every 25 years.
There have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years: for example, in 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of Mercy as an extraordinary jubilee.
The way in which Jubilee Years are marked has also changed through the centuries: originally the Holy Year consisted of a pilgrimage to the Roman Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, later other signs were added, such as the Holy Door. By participating in the Holy Year, one is granted a plenary indulgence.
Jubilee 2025
The Holy Year of 2025 began at the Christmas Vigil 2024, when the Holy Father will open the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Click here for details.
Four Holy Doors have opened in Rome in the four major basilicas – the basilicas of St Peter, St Paul Outside the Walls, St Mary Major and St John Lateran. Pilgrims to Rome will be encouraged to pass through the Holy Doors, which represent Christ, the gateway. Passing through the doors will take us into the church, a place of peace and reconciliation.
The Theme of Jubilee 2025
The theme of this Holy Year is Pilgrims of Hope, and the logo represents this theme:
The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the four corners of the earth. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The figure at the front is holding onto the cross. It is not only the sign of the faith which this lead figure embraces, but also of hope, which can never be abandoned, because we are always in need of hope, especially in our moments of greatest need. There are the rough waves under the figures, symbolising the fact that life’s pilgrimage does not always go smoothly in calm waters. Often the circumstances of daily life and events in the wider world require a greater call to hope. That’s why we should pay special attention to the lower part of the cross which has been elongated and turned into the shape of an anchor which is let down into the waves. The anchor is well known as a symbol of hope. In maritime jargon the ‘anchor of hope’ refers to the reserve anchor used by vessels involved in emergency manoeuvres to stabilise the ship during storms. It is worth noting that the image illustrates the pilgrim’s journey not as an individual undertaking, but rather as something communal, marked by an increasing dynamism leading one ever closer to the cross. The cross in the logo is by no means static, but it is also dynamic. It bends down towards humanity, not leaving human beings alone, but stretching out to them to offer the certainty of its presence and the security of hope. At the bottom of the logo is the motto of the 2025 Jubilee Year: Pilgrims in hope, represented in green letters.
