The Holy Door Opens at St. Paul Outside the Walls

The Holy Door Opens at St. Paul Outside the Walls

At the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Cardinal James Harvey ceremoniously opened the fifth and final Holy Door for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope. This historic moment marked the beginning of a time of mercy, forgiveness, and renewed faith for Christians worldwide.

The ceremony began in the basilica’s courtyard with the ancient sound of a shofar—a ram’s horn used biblically to announce jubilee years. Cardinal Harvey prayed for Christians to embrace the jubilee year with the faith of the Apostle Paul. The event concluded with the congregation singing the jubilee hymn, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

In his homily, Cardinal Harvey reflected:

"By crossing the threshold of this basilica with faith, we enter the time of mercy and forgiveness, so that, as St. Paul reminds us, the way of hope that does not disappoint may be opened to every woman and every man."

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over St. Paul’s tomb, is one of five Holy Door locations for the jubilee. Pilgrims passing through these doors, including those at St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and Rome’s Rebibbia Prison, can receive a plenary indulgence during this jubilee period, which ends on December 28, 2025.