Pope Francis celebrates Christmas and launches Jubilee 2025 ‘Holy Year’ in Rome

Pope Francis on Tuesday opened the Catholic Church's "Holy Year" 2025, the great international pilgrimage for which more than 30 million faithful from around the world are expected in Rome to celebrate the Jubilee.

On this Christmas Eve, in the presence of some 30,000 people and broadcast to the whole world, the Argentine Jesuit opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, symbolizing the inauguration of this "ordinary" Jubilee.

Jorge Bergoglio, seated in a wheelchair, knocked on the heavy, imposing bronze door before standing silently at its threshold and entering the monumental basilica, followed by a long procession, as bells tolled outside.

Throughout the year, pilgrims will be able to pass through this door, closed in normal times, to receive the "plenary indulgence," the forgiveness of sins according to tradition.

The 88-year-old pope, who has frequent health problems, then celebrated Christmas Eve Mass, as he does every year.

"Let us think of the wars, of the children who have been machine-gunned, of the bombs on schools or hospitals," he said in his homily.

On Wednesday at noon, when the pope delivers his traditional "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing, he is expected to renew his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Following the deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany, security around the Vatican was beefed up. Some 700 additional agents were sent to Rome, the Interior Ministry announced.

‘Small miracle’

Organized every 25 years by the Catholic Church, the Jubilee is seen as a time of conversion and penance for the faithful and is accompanied by a long list of cultural and religious events.

In preparation for the Jubilee, Rome undertook major works that have tested the patience of residents, with the restoration of monuments and squares in the historic center.

Among the most emblematic is a tunnel near the Sant'Angelo castle, very close to the Vatican, inaugurated Monday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who considered the completion of the project a "small miracle."

In a city already taken over by millions of visitors and known for the deficiency of its public transport, the event raises questions about excessive tourism and its environmental impact.

The pope has made environmental protection a pillar of his pontificate.

The opening of the Holy Door will be followed in the coming days by those of three other major basilicas in Rome (St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran) and thousands more in churches around the world.

Faithful to his commitment to the marginalized, Francis will celebrate this tradition on Thursday in the Roman prison of Rebibbia, where he will preside over a mass as a sign of his closeness to the prisoners.

The Jubilee is aimed primarily at the 1.4 billion Catholics, but goes beyond the religious framework, as seen with the sale of commemorative products such as water bottles, caps and shirts with the official logo.

The Jubilee has been modernized and has even created an app for smartphones in six languages with practical information, interactive maps, schedules and QR codes.

It also has its own mascot, called “Luce” (“light” in Latin), inspired by a manga pop culture character, an unprecedented initiative for the Vatican, which has sparked criticism but which some see as a desire for generational renewal.

This year's edition, called "Pilgrims of Hope," will bring together groups from all walks of life: young people, migrants, artists, musicians, associations, the world of sports, business and education.

An "extraordinary" Jubilee was held in 2016 under the theme of forgiveness. The next one will take place in 2033 to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ.

The last "ordinary" Jubilee, organized in 2000 under John Paul II, gathered 25 million people.