The Closing of the Holy Doors for the jubilee 2025
The Holy doors of Rome, opened for the Jubilee 2025, have been sealed one by one, eight days after the conclusion of the Holy Year by Pope Francis, during a private ceremony. these doors, crossed by pilgrims as a sign of conversion and forgiveness of sins, are only opened during Jubilee years. The sealing process involves building a brick wall behind the door, on the inside of the basilica, and placing a bronze casket containing various objects within a small cavity.
Last door Sealed at St. Peter’s Basilica
The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the first to open, was the last to be sealed on Friday, January 16th, marking the end of the ceremonies related to the Jubilee of Hope. The rite of sealing was presided over by Cardinal mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Basilica. In his opening prayer, he prayed for the numerous pilgrims who passed through the Holy Door during the Holy Year, hoping they would “remain steadfast in faith and in communion with the Successor of Peter.”
Key, Record, and Medals placed Within the Wall
A bronze casket, created specifically for this occasion, was placed inside the wall. The casket is engraved with the coats of arms of Pope Francis, who opened the Jubilee 2025, and Pope leo XIV, who traditionally closed the Holy Doors.
Inside the casket is a metal box containing the official record of the door’s closure, the key to the Holy Door, and several pontifical medals issued as the last sealing – specifically, between the jubilee of 2016 and the present.These include two medals commemorating the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, a medal marking the final year of Pope Francis’s pontificate, additional medals celebrating the ten years since the last Jubilee, and a medal commemorating the sede vacante (vacant see) of 2025. Aleteia provides further details on the ceremony.
Organizers of the Jubilee reported that over 33 million pilgrims visited Rome during the past year. The next Holy Year, the “Jubilee of Redemption,” will take place in 2033, commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Christ.
