“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,” said Cardinal Harvey. 

At the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Cardinal James Harvey opened the fifth and final Holy Door for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope. 

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

Harvey prayed that Christians embrace the jubilee year with the faith of the Apostle Paul. After opening the heavy bronze doors and entering the basilica, the congregation sang the jubilee hymn “Pilgrims of Hope.” 

“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,” Cardinal Harvey preached in his homily. 

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas, is built over St. Paul’s tomb. During the jubilee, it serves as one of five Holy Door locations designated by the pope, remaining open until December 28, 2025. 

The other Holy Doors for 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 jubilee history—inside Rome’s Rebibbia Prison. 

Pilgrims visiting Rome during the jubilee can receive a plenary indulgence by passing through these doors.

Adapted by Jacob Stein 

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