St. John's Catholic Church

Cardinal Robert McElroy addresses the congregation at Rome’s Church of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali during his formal installation as its titular cardinal on April 23, 2023. / Credit: Pablo Esparza/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Jan 6, 2025 / 06:08 am (CNA).

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., the Vatican announced Monday.

The 70-year-old cardinal, who holds doctorates in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and in political science from Stanford, succeeds Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, whose age-related resignation was simultaneously accepted by the pope on Monday. McElroy will lead the archdiocese that serves over half a million Catholics in southern Maryland and the U.S. capital.

In his nearly 10 years as bishop of California’s southernmost diocese, McElroy has been vocal on a number of controversial issues at the intersection of politics and Church life. He is considered by many to also be the U.S. cardinal whose thinking most aligns with Pope Francis.

Outspokenly progressive, McElroy is now poised to take over the ecclesiastical territory of the nation’s capital just as Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term as president of the United States.

Shortly after Trump’s inauguration for his first term in 2017, McElroy told a gathering of faith-based groups that if Trump was the candidate of “disruption,” then similar disruption is needed to build a better society.

“Well now, we must all become disruptors,” the bishop said, referencing the use of military force to deport undocumented migrants and the portrayal of refugees and Muslims as enemies.

In the political area, McElroy has been most outspoken on the subject of immigration. 

Speaking at an interfaith prayer vigil in front of the U.S. federal courthouse in downtown San Diego in 2021, McElroy decried Congress’ failure to create paths to legalization for some of the U.S.’ 11 million undocumented migrants.

“We can’t stand by anymore and watch our political processes — broken as they are — destroy the dreams and the hopes of the refugees and the immigrants who have not only come here and lived here but have helped build our nation and make it better,” he said.

He is also a frequently-heard voice in the “Eucharistic coherence” debate, in which he has often criticized what he sees as, in the U.S., the prioritization of abortion over other social concerns, such as the death penalty and care for migrants and the environment.

In recent years, McElroy has also asserted that to deny holy Communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians is to weaponize the Eucharist for a political end.

In a May 5, 2021, essay, he decried what he called “a theology of unworthiness” to receive the Eucharist, whereby those who practice it focus too strongly, in his view, on discipline.

McElroy also supports women deacons for the Church and is a vocal supporter of LGBT-identified Catholics.

Born in San Francisco on Feb. 5, 1954, McElroy grew up in San Mateo County. He was ordained a priest in 1980 and served as an auxiliary bishop to San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone starting in 2010.

In 2015, Pope Francis tapped McElroy to lead the San Diego Diocese. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis in an August 2022 consistory after undergoing a successful coronary bypass surgery the year prior.

Before starting seminary, McElroy studied history at Harvard University, going on to also earn a master’s degree in American History from Stanford University.

After his ordination as a priest, he also earned a licentiate (similar to a master’s degree) in sacred theology and doctorates in moral theology and political science.

American Cardinal James Harvey opens the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5, 2025, completing the opening of all five Holy Doors in Rome for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope. / Credit: AIGAV pool

Rome, Italy, Jan 5, 2025 / 10:42 am (CNA).

American Cardinal James Harvey opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, completing the opening of all five Holy Doors in Rome for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

Pilgrims who visit Rome during the jubilee, a holy year celebrated every 25 years, will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence by passing through the doors.

“The opening of the Holy Door marks the salvific passage opened by Christ through his incarnation, death, and resurrection, calling all members of the Church to be reconciled with God and with one another,” Harvey said.

The ceremony began in the basilica’s column-lined courtyard with the ancient sound of a shofar, a ram’s horn historically used by the ancient Israelites to announce jubilee years, as recorded in the Bible.

Harvey offered a prayer, asking that Christians live the jubilee year with the faith of the Apostle Paul, “so that captivated by the love of Christ and converted by his mercy we may proclaim to the world the Gospel of grace.”

He then pushed open the heavy bronze doors, pausing for a moment of silent prayer at the threshold before entering as the congregation sang the jubilee hymn “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Harvey, a Milwaukee native and archpriest of the basilica, presided over the Mass for the opening of the Holy Door. The 75-year-old cardinal formerly served as the prefect of the papal household for Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

“With the opening of the Holy Door this morning at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls … we crossed the threshold of the sacred temple with immense joy because, in a symbolic way, we passed through the door of hope,” Harvey said during his homily.

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas, is built over the tomb of St. Paul and was first consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester. It has long been a significant site of pilgrimage, and during the jubilee, it will play a central role as one of the five Holy Door locations designated by the pope.

“By crossing the threshold of this basilica with faith, we enter the time of mercy and forgiveness so that according to the right expression of our holy patron St. Paul, the way of hope that does not disappoint may be opened to every woman and every man,” Harvey said.

Pope Francis chose “Pilgrims of Hope” as the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year. In Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), the papal bull announcing the jubilee, Pope Francis described hope as a virtue that “does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”

In his homily, Harvey reflected on the virtue of hope, quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Spe Salvi: “We have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.”

“‘The good news,’ the Christian message, is the announcement of this accomplished reality of Jesus Christ died, risen, and glorified. He is our hope,” Harvey added.

The jubilee, the first ordinary one since the Great Jubilee of 2000, is expected to draw millions of pilgrims to Rome. The other four Holy Doors of the 2025 Jubilee are located at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and — for the first time in the history of jubilees — inside Rome’s Rebibbia Prison.

“The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life,” Harvey said, quoting Spe Salvi.

Harvey explained that hope is “a theological virtue because it’s infused by God and has God as its guarantor. It’s not a passive virtue which merely waits for things to happen. It’s a supremely active virtue that helps make them happen.”

“The Church invites each pilgrim to undertake a spiritual journey in the footsteps of faith, and the Church strongly hopes that it may reignite the flame of hope,” he said.

The Holy Door at St. Paul’s will remain open until Dec. 28, 2025. “St. Paul left us these precious words when he wrote to the Romans, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,’” Harvey said.

“The cross of Christ, the glorious symbol of victory over sin and death, is our unique hope,” he said.

“To radiate hope, to be sowers of hope … is certainly the most beautiful gift that the Church can give to all humanity, especially at this moment in its history,” the cardinal added.

Umbrellas dot St. Peter’s Square on the rainy Sunday afternoon as jubilee pilgrims brave the weather to hear Pope Francis give his Angelus message on Jan. 5, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jan 5, 2025 / 09:35 am (CNA).

In his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis encouraged Christians to be “messengers of hope” in the jubilee year by saying “‘yes’ to life.”

Umbrellas dotted St. Peter’s Square on the rainy Sunday afternoon as jubilee pilgrims braved the weather to hear Pope Francis give his Angelus message. The pope commended the crowd for their bravery in standing out in the rain and urged them to bring God’s light to their families and communities during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

“Let us not be afraid to throw open bright windows of closeness to those who are suffering, of forgiveness, of compassion, and reconciliation,” Pope Francis said from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 5.

“This invitation resounds in a particular way in the jubilee year that has just begun, urging us to be messengers of hope with a simple but concrete ‘yes’ to life with choices that bring life.”

Reflecting on the prologue of John’s Gospel, the pope reminded the faithful that Jesus, the word incarnate, is “the light that shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Pope Francis said the Gospel “reminds us, then, how powerful is God’s love, which is not overcome by anything and which, despite obstacles and rejections, continues to shine and illuminate our path.”

The pope added that we are living in a time of “great need for light, for hope, and a need for peace” in which “men at times create situations so complicated that it seems impossible to get out of them.”

He underlined the eternal nature of God’s love, saying: “God never stops. He finds a thousand ways to reach everyone, each and every one of us, wherever we are, without calculation and without conditions, opening even in the darkest nights of humanity windows of light that the darkness cannot obscure.”

At the start of the new year, Francis encouraged everyone to reflect on their capacity to bring light into the lives of others: “How can I open a window of light in my environment and in my relationships? Where can I be a glimmer of light that lets God’s love pass through? What is the first step I should take today?”

Pope Francis invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he led the crowd in the Angelus prayer in Latin, urging Christians to follow Our Lady’s example. “May Mary, star that leads to Jesus, help us to be shining witnesses of the Father’s love for everyone,” he said.

Pope Francis also prayed for war-torn regions of the world, calling on Catholics to continue praying for peace in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, and Sudan.

“May the international community act firmly so that humanitarian law is respected in conflicts,” he said. “No more striking schools, hospitals; no more hitting workplaces! Let us not forget that war is always a defeat, always.”

During his audience with Italian Catholic educators, Pope Francis interacts with a young girl at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican on Jan. 4, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 08:58 am (CNA).

Pope Francis warned that bullying in schools prepares students for war rather than peace in a powerful appeal to Catholic educators gathered at the Vatican on Saturday.

Speaking to approximately 2,000 Italian teachers, educators, and parents, the pontiff repeatedly emphasized his message against bullying, having participants pledge “No bullying!” during the audience.

“If at school you wage war among yourselves, if you bully girls and boys who have problems, you are preparing for war, not peace,” Francis told the Paul VI Audience Hall gathering.

The meeting on Jan. 4 marked the 80th anniversary of the Italian Association of Catholic Teachers and the 50th anniversary of the Association of Catholic School Parents. Francis used the occasion to outline “God’s pedagogy” of closeness, compassion, and tenderness.

Warning against a “remote pedagogy, distant from people,” the Holy Father stressed that effective education requires proximity and engagement. He illustrated this point with an anecdote about a family he had heard about, where parents and children sat together at a restaurant but remained fixated on their mobile phones instead of conversing.

“Please, in families, let’s talk!” the pope implored, emphasizing that “family is dialogue, it is dialogue that makes us grow.”

The papal address coincided with the beginning of the jubilee journey, which Francis noted has “much to say” to the world of education. He called educators to be “pilgrims of hope” who devote themselves with trust and patience to human growth.

“Their hope is not naive,” Francis explained. “It is rooted in reality and sustained by the conviction that every educational effort has value and that every person has dignity and a vocation worthy of being cultivated.”

The pontiff concluded by encouraging the formation of a “pact between associations” to better witness to the Church’s presence both in and for schools, reminding participants once more to stand firm against bullying.

The Holy Father’s strong message against bullying came on the same day he addressed another group of Catholic educators, the Union of St. Catherine of Siena Missionary Teachers, where he emphasized the importance of joyful witness in Catholic education.

Speaking to the teaching sisters in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Francis warned against what he called “vinegar faces,” saying stern countenances drive people away from the faith. The dual addresses highlighted the pope’s vision for Catholic education: combining warm, welcoming pedagogy with firm opposition to behaviors that undermine human dignity and peace.

Pope Francis shares a joyful moment with members of the Union of St. Catherine of Siena Missionary Teachers during an audience in the Vatican's Clementine Hall, Jan. 4, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pointing to the perils of pastoral pessimism, Pope Francis urged a congregation of teaching sisters on Saturday to cultivate joy in their ministry, warning them that stern countenances drive people away from the faith.

“Many times in my life I have encountered nuns with a vinegar face, and this is not friendly, this is not something that helps to attract people,” the pope said.

Speaking to participants in the General Chapter of the Union “St. Catherine of Siena” of School Missionaries in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Francis emphasized three essential qualities for religious educators: holiness, preparation, and friendliness.

The congregation, marking its centenary year, chose as its chapter theme “Understanding the present to comprehend together the future of the Union as it journeys with the Church” — an approach Francis praised as being “in line with the legacy” left by their founder, Venerable Luigia Tincani.

The pope quoted St. John Paul II’s 1995 description of their founding vision, which called for “constant commitment to one’s own sanctification, a serious theological and professional preparation, and a lifestyle that is friendly and loving toward everyone, especially young people.”

Francis particularly emphasized the Dominican motto that shapes their educational ministry: “contemplata aliis tradere” (to hand on to others the fruits of contemplation).

The pope also delivered a strong warning against gossip in religious communities. “Please, distance yourself from gossip. Gossip kills, gossip poisons,” he said. “Please, no gossip among you, none. And to ask this of a woman is heroic, but come on, let’s go forward, and no gossip.”

During an exchange about vocations, when sisters indicated they had “a dozen” novices worldwide, Francis encouraged them to actively seek new apostolates. “Look for a vocational apostolate, look for it!” he urged.

The Union of St. Catherine of Siena Missionary Teachers was founded in Italy in 1925 by Tincani. Following the spiritual heritage of St. Catherine of Siena and the Dominican tradition of combining contemplation with education, the congregation focuses on promoting Christian humanism through education, serving in schools and universities across several continents.

Pope Francis meets with members of the Italian Union of Blind and Partially Sighted People on Jan. 3, 2025, in Clementine Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 3, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Friday welcomed a group of children and young people from the Italian Union of Blind and Partially Sighted People in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, encouraging them to be pilgrims of hope during the 2025 Jubilee Year.

At the beginning of his Jan. 3 audience, the Holy Father encouraged those present to repeat the “Pilgrims of Hope” theme of the 2025 Jubilee, getting louder and louder each time until he was satisfied with their enthusiastic response and congratulated them with a “bravo!”

Pope Francis then encouraged them to be “people on the journey” who always have the desire to continue, “never stopping, never arriving, always with the desire to move forward.”

In his talk, the pontiff recalled that a pilgrim is more than a traveler, because he has a particular goal: “A holy place, which draws him, which motivates him, which sustains him in his fatigue.”

In the case of the ordinary Jubilee of 2025, he said, the goal is a Holy Door “that allows us to enter into new life, free from the slavery of sin, free to love and serve God and neighbor.”

The pilgrim is also distinguished from the traveller, the pope said, because he is eager “to encounter Jesus, to know him, to listen to his word, which gives meaning to life, which fills it with a distinct joy, a joy that does not remain ‘outside,’ on the surface, but fills the heart and warms it, a joy that is peace, goodness, tenderness.”

Pope Francis then proposed examples of saints who show that “only Jesus can give this joy,” citing Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who is scheduled to be canonized this year; St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi; and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

The pontiff concluded by saying that pilgrims of hope are “children and young people who have encountered the Lord Jesus and have journeyed with him, and he is the hope for every man, for every woman, and also for the world.”

By following this path, Pope Francis added, “we too will become small signs of hope for those we meet.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims and visitors gathered for the Angelus on Dec. 29, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Jan 2, 2025 / 12:40 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of January is for the right to an education.

“Today we’re experiencing an ‘educational catastrophe,’ the Holy Father said in a video released Jan. 2. “This is no exaggeration. Due to wars, migration, and poverty, some 250 million boys and girls lack education.”

“All children and youth have the right to go to school, regardless of their immigration status,” he added.

The pope called education “a hope for everyone.”

“It can save migrants and refugees from discrimination, criminal networks, and exploitation — so many minors are exploited! It can help them integrate into the communities who host them.”

He pointed out that “education opens the doors to a better future.”

“In this way, migrants and refugees can contribute to society, either in their new country or in their country of origin, should they decide to return,” he said.

The Holy Father urged the faithful to never forget “that whoever welcomes the foreigner welcomes Jesus Christ.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a more human world, might always be respected.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Jan 2, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).

Pope Francis offered his condolences after 15 people were killed in New Orleans when a U.S. Army veteran drove a pickup truck with an Islamic State flag into a crowd celebrating the New Year.

The pope sent a condolence message to New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Jan. 2 offering prayers for the souls of the deceased as well as the healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved. 

“His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the attack that took place in New Orleans,” said the message sent on the pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“In assuring the entire community of his spiritual closeness, His Holiness commends the souls of those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God and prays for the healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved. As a pledge of peace and strength in the Lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing.”

The New Orleans attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism by the FBI, which believes that the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, did not act alone. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police after driving a truck with an explosive device into a crowd of people celebrating the new year in New Orleans’ French Quarter three hours after midnight.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening that the driver had posted videos to social media saying that he was inspired by the Islamic State group in the hours before what Biden called the “heinous act.”

About 30 other people were injured by the New Orleans attack, including two police officers wounded by gunfire from the suspect, according to Reuters. 

Among the 15 victims were a mother of a 4-year-old, an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi, and a student-athlete who was visiting home for the holidays.

“Our prayers go out to those killed and injured in this morning’s horrific attack on Bourbon Street,” Aymond said in a brief statement released on the archdiocese’s website.

“This violent act is a sign of utter disrespect for human life,” he said. “I join with others in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans in offering prayerful support to the victims’ families. I give thanks for the heroic duty of hundreds of law enforcement and medical personnel in the face of such evil.”

FBI officials have said they are also looking for any links with a separate incident in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day in which one person was killed and seven people were injured when a rented Tesla Cybertruck exploded into flames outside of the Trump International Hotel.

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A jubilee is one of the most significant events of the Catholic Church that occurs only every 25 years.

With the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, there are many questions the faithful may ask: What can the jubilee contribute to my life of faith? What is a Holy Door? What is a jubilee church? How can I participate if I don’t go on pilgrimage to Rome? The answers to these and other questions will help Catholics understand the value of this exceptional time of grace.

The importance of a jubilee

Why is the jubilee such an important event for Catholics? The answer is simple: It offers an extraordinary opportunity to attain salvation and experience that God’s holiness can transform us. Ultimately, it is a gift that helps us reach heaven.

Why? Because it makes available to the faithful all the easy means to obtain benefits from the “treasury” of the Church, for example, a plenary indulgence, which returns the soul to the state it was in when it received baptism.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Father Giuseppe Bonomo, an Italian priest at the Atri Cathedral in Teramo, Italy — where there is a Holy Door instituted by Pope St. Celestine V — emphasized that the jubilee is also a unique time for “personal and community conversion.”

In fact, during each month of the year, one or more jubilees dedicated to different groups will be celebrated in Rome. In January, for example, there is the Jubilee of the World of Communications, in February the Jubilee of Artists, in April the Jubilee of Teenagers, in May the Jubilee of Confraternities. You can consult the calendar here.

Two indulgences in one day?

In the sacrament of penance sins are forgiven. However, the temporal punishment required by divine justice remains. The indulgence grants the remission of all temporal punishment in purgatory, so that if a person dies after receiving this gift, he or she goes directly to heaven.

The immense value and profound significance that this “treasure” contains makes it a privilege reserved for specific places and times designated for it to be granted. This is where the greatness of the jubilee year lies, a time when the opportunities to obtain it are multiplied — even twice in one day!

Although there is a rule that only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day, during the jubilee year a second one can be obtained if it is done for the souls in purgatory, i.e., the second one will be applicable only to the deceased.

Requirements to obtain the jubilee indulgence

To obtain the jubilee indulgence it is important first to know how it is granted (the requirements) and second, where (the specific place or times) it is granted. With the arrival of the Jubilee of Hope, the Vatican noted the three usual conditions:

“All the faithful, who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin, who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the holy year, purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the supreme pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins, which can be applied in suffrage to the souls in purgatory,” the document states.

How can one experience the Jubilee 2025 without going on pilgrimage to Rome?

During the year 2025, Catholics will be able to obtain the indulgence on pilgrimages to any holy place of the jubilee, those churches designated for this purpose. In Rome, in addition to the four main basilicas, there are 13 other churches.

The Eternal City is undoubtedly the center of the 2025 Jubilee, and during the year it expects to welcome 30 million people. However, if one cannot go on pilgrimage to Rome, there are many other ways to obtain the indulgence and experience a true conversion and strengthening of faith.

Bonomo explained to ACI Prensa that any Catholic who wishes can do so in his or her own city. “You must ask your bishop how many churches there are in your diocese” with these qualifications, he explained. 

“There are many jubilee churches! And of course you can obtain the plenary indulgence in these churches,” he said.

You can also obtain it if you visit sacred places such as Marian shrines or other basilicas. You can check which ones here.

It can also be received by performing works of mercy and penance, such as visiting those in need or in difficulty (the sick, prisoners, the lonely elderly, etc.), even by abstaining, at least for one day, from “trivial distractions,” such as social media and “superfluous consumption.”

In addition, those who cannot participate in pilgrimages for “serious reasons” can gain the indulgence if they recite “the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any approved form, and other prayers in conformity with the objectives of the holy year … offering up their sufferings or the hardships of their lives.”

What is a Holy Door and how many are there in the world?

Pope Francis officially inaugurated the 2025 Jubilee of Hope by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24, 2024. Passing through a Holy Door during the jubilee symbolizes entry into a new life in Christ and the beginning of a journey of conversion.

Bonomo noted that Holy Doors “can be permanent or not.” The first category includes only nine in the whole world: “The most famous is that of St. Peter in the Vatican, followed by those of the three major basilicas in Rome: St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major.”

“But there are also others outside Rome, such as the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela [Spain], the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila [Italy], the Basilica-Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Québec [Canada], the Atri Cathedral [Italy], and Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi [India],” he added.

Furthermore, the Italian priest explained that “the basilicas with permanent Holy Doors have their own statutes.” For example, “the Basilica of Atri is open every year from Aug. 14–22, while those in Rome are open only during a jubilee year,” he continued.

In the case of Santiago de Compostela, a holy year occurs when July 25, the saint’s feast day, falls on a Sunday. During that year, the plenary indulgence can be obtained at the cathedral.

The ‘nonpermanent’ Holy Doors

Nonpermanent Holy Doors are those that are opened only for a specific jubilee year, as on Dec. 26, 2024, when for the first time in the jubilee tradition, Pope Francis opened a Holy Door in the Rebibbia prison, located on the outskirts of Rome.

Ten years ago, during his trip to the Central African Republic, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of the Bangui cathedral, a gesture made shortly after the beginning of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to encourage “peace in this country and the world.” In addition, on Dec. 18 of that year he opened the Holy Door of Charity in a reception center in Termini in Rome.

During the Extraordinary Jubilee of 2015, Pope Francis granted the opening of the Holy Door also in cathedral churches and allowed the dioceses to establish Holy Doors. This, however, will not happen in 2025, since this year the rules for an ordinary jubilee are followed and not an extraordinary one.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

A Sister of the Missionaries of Charity touches the bronze Holy Door at the papal basilica during its opening for the 2025 Jubilee Year. The religious sister, wearing the distinctive white and blue habit of the order founded by Mother Teresa, joins other faithful in this traditional gesture of devotion as they pass through the ceremonial door on Jan. 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Jan 1, 2025 / 16:17 pm (CNA).

The pealing of a precious ancient bell marked a momentous beginning to the 2025 Jubilee Year at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas opened the Holy Door on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The Lithuanian cardinal, elevated to the College of Cardinals in December 2024, presided over the ceremony at Rome’s preeminent Marian shrine, where the “Bell of the Lost” rang out across the Eternal City from atop the Esquiline Hill.

In his homily, Makrickas emphasized the bell’s spiritual significance, noting how it has called pilgrims to prayer since the Church’s first jubilee and continues to serve as a sonic symbol of Mary’s guidance, much like the “Star of the Sea” that illuminates the darkness.

“Every pilgrim who crosses the threshold of the Holy Door of this first Marian shrine of the West during the jubilee year will pray before the icon of the Mother of God, Salus Populi Romani, and before the sacred crib of Jesus,” the cardinal said during his homily.

The papal basilica, also known as the “Bethlehem of the West,” houses both the venerated icon of Mary and relics of Christ’s crib. Makrickas highlighted how these sacred objects connect to Pope Francis’ document “Spes Non Confundit,” which announced the jubilee year.

Quoting the papal bull, the cardinal reminded the faithful that pilgrims are especially invited to “make a prayer stop at the Marian shrines of the city to venerate the Virgin Mary and invoke her protection.”

The basilica’s location at the center of a star-shaped road network symbolically evokes the Star of Bethlehem, Makrickas noted, reflecting its 1,600-year mission to serve as “a bright star, at the service of the True Light, pointing to the Savior, true God and true man, born of the Virgin Mary.”

The cardinal concluded his homily by entrusting the jubilee year to the Mother of God, praying that she might lead all pilgrims to Jesus, “the fullness of time, of all time, of everyone’s time.”

Daniel Ibáñez contributed to this report.