Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

Pope Francis voicing his desire for the year to foster a greater sense of global brotherhood and solidarity with the poor, as well as care for the environment has today announced a Jubilee Year in 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope.

After two years marked by the coronavirus pandemic and the crisis left in its wake, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given 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,” the pope said in his letter.

The coming Jubilee “can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire,” he said. “That is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’”

Dated Feb. 11 2023, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the letter was addressed to Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, which is tasked with organizing the Jubilee.

The first-ever “Holy Year” was instituted by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 and was initially celebrated every 100 years. Then, following biblical tradition, it was marked every 50 years, and it was finally decided by Pope Paul II in 1490 to observe the jubilee year every 25 years, so that each person could experience one in his or her lifetime.

Jubilees, designed to be a time of conversion and increased emphasis on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins, are marked by the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Holy Doors, present in each of the four papal basilicas in Rome, are destination points for pilgrims who travel to Rome during the Jubilee and who pass through seeking special graces and outpourings of God’s mercy.

The last Ordinary Jubilee was the Great Jubilee of 2000, celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

A new custom of calling “extraordinary” jubilees, meaning outside of the 25-year rotation, and which can last a few days to a few months, began in the 16th century. There have only been a handful of extraordinary jubilees since, the latest being the 2015-2016 Jubilee of Mercy called by Pope Francis.

In the lead-up to the Jubilee 2025 , the Pope asked that the year 2024 be devoted to prayer, “above all else, to renew our desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to listen to him and to adore him.”

Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales