JUBILEE 2025
Hope Pilgrimages with Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi
JUBILEE and INDULGENCES
The Jubilee is an institution of the Catholic Church that dates back to the year 1300 with Pope Boniface VIII. It is interesting to note that the first Jubilee was invoked by the people of God at the turn of the new century, from 1299 to 1300, to request a “most complete” indulgence for the remission of the punishment due for sins committed. An "indulgence" is an extraordinary gift: through the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation, the guilt (the sin committed) is forgiven, and with the indulgence, even the punishment due in Purgatory is removed. The first plenary indulgence was granted by Christ Himself on the Cross when He addressed the good thief with these words: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Pope Francis declares that the gift of the Indulgence "allows us to discover how boundless God’s mercy is. It is no coincidence that in antiquity, the term ‘mercy’ was interchangeable with ‘indulgence,’ precisely because it was meant to express the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no limits" (*Spes non confundit*, 23).
The Indulgence, therefore, is a jubilee grace. The faithful who are "truly repentant," "moved by the spirit of charity," and who, "during the Jubilee, having been purified through the Sacrament of Penance and nourished by Holy Communion, will pray according to the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff," will be able to receive the indulgence, as stated in the official text. The indulgence may also be applied "as an act of intercession for the souls in Purgatory."
What are the conditions to obtain it?
To receive the gift of a plenary indulgence, three conditions must be observed: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Furthermore, it is required that the person be free from any attachment to sin, even venial sin. If full disposition is lacking or if the three conditions mentioned are not met, the indulgence is only partial.
Note: The Sacrament of Reconciliation may be received up to eight days before or after the indulgenced act.
THE PAPAL BASILICAS
St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
St. Peter’s Basilica is the ideal center of Christianity and the seat of the successors of Peter. In the very heart of the Basilica, the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles is venerated. He was martyred in 67 A.D. in Nero’s Circus, which once stood here, and was buried in the bare earth by devout Christians. Over the centuries, the Church’s love for Peter has made this place more magnificent and grander, from the first burial site to the Basilica with its majestic dome and the square with its colonnade, as we see them today.
Here, devotion and the architectural and artistic genius of great men such as Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael have created a unique and unparalleled place of beauty and grandeur, where Christians from all over the world can gather to pray to Christ and honor Peter and the Church founded upon him.
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
The Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major is the Marian heart of the Eternal City, consecrated to the Mother of God and long considered the Bethlehem of Rome. It preserves precious memories and relics connected to the life of the Virgin and the birth of Jesus, such as the Holy Crib and the first marble Nativity scene, crafted by Arnolfo di Cambio.
Its origins date back to 358 A.D. and are linked to the miraculous snowfall that occurred on the Esquiline Hill in the middle of August. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to Pope Liberius and the nobleman John, instructing them to build a church in her honor at the site of the snowfall.
Pope Sixtus III later transformed the original church to celebrate the proclamation of Mary as Theotókos (Mother of God) at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.
Embellished over the centuries, St. Mary Major now houses one of the most venerated icons of Mary, the Salus Populi Romani.
Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist
The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome, where the Pope serves as its Bishop. It is recognized as the “Mother and Head of all the Churches of Rome and the World,” being the oldest church in the Western world, commissioned by Emperor Constantine in 313 A.D. as a gesture of gratitude for the divine protection he received during his battle against Maxentius in 312 A.D.
Originally, it was dedicated to the Most Holy Savior, but over the centuries, the titles of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist were added.
Today, however, it is commonly known simply as St. John Lateran, named after the area of ancient Rome where it was built. The Basilica, as we see it today, is the result of a major renovation commissioned by Pope Innocent X Pamphili for the Jubilee of 1650 and entrusted to the architect Francesco Borromini.
Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls houses the sacred remains of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Condemned to death in 67 A.D., he was beheaded at the Aquae Salviae along the Via Laurentina. His body was buried here along the Via Ostiense in a pagan necropolis. Over his tomb, Emperor Constantine built an initial basilica, which was later enlarged by Emperors Theodosius, Valentinian II, Arcadius, and Honorius.
In July 1823, a devastating fire severely damaged the ancient basilica. The reconstruction, completed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, restored the basilica to its present appearance. This basilica stands as a tribute to the immense evangelizing mission of St. Paul, whose theological and pastoral reflections, recorded in his 14 letters, have nourished and continue inspiring Christians in a unique way.
