Early Wednesday, pilgrims lined up to pass through the large Holy Door at the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica as Christmas marked the start of celebrations for the Holy Year 2025, which are expected to bring some 32 million Catholic faithful to Rome.
Passage through the Holy Door is a way for the faithful to receive indulgences or forgiveness of their sins during a jubilee, a quarter-century tradition that dates back to the 1300s. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to enter, inaugurating the 2025 Jubilee, which he dedicated to hope.
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Pilgrims underwent security checks before entering the Holy Door amid fresh security fears after a deadly accident Attack on the Christmas market in Germany. Many stopped, touched the door as they passed and crossed themselves as they entered the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
Inside the beauty of one newly restored St. Peter’s Basilica was unveiled after extensive restoration work in preparation for the anniversary year.
One of the most important restorations is by Bernini’s canopya canopy that sits above the grave of Saint PeterIt removes centuries-old dirt and reveals its shiny gold finish. Also restored was the Chair of Saint Peter, an important symbol of papal authority dating from 875 AD.
At noon local time, Francis gave the traditional address “Urbi et Orbi” – “To the City and the World” – focusing on the challenges facing the world this year.
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As Reuters reported, the pope said from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below: “May the noise of weapons in war-torn areas be silenced.” Ukraine!”
He called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to “achieve a just and lasting peace” and end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people since Moscow’s all-out invasion more than two years ago. The conflict did not rest because of the holiday, as Russia carried out a so-called action “Massive strike” against energy plants in Ukraine on Christmas Day.
Pope Francis also renewed his call for a ceasefire Israel-Hamas warshe calls Humanitarian crisis in Gaza “extremely serious” and called for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
In his message on Wednesday, the pope said the jubilee year should be a time in which “every individual and all peoples and nations … become pilgrims of hope, silencing the clamor of weapons and overcoming divisions.”
Christmas and Hanukkah coincide, which is rare
HanukkahJudaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900.
The calendar’s confluence has inspired some religious leaders to host interfaith gatherings, such as a Chicanukah party hosted last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, that brought together members of the city’s Latino and Jewish communities for latkes, the traditional potato pancake eaten on Hanukkah, topped with guacamole and salsa.
While Hanukkah is intended as a happy, celebratory holiday, rabbis indicate that this year it will be celebrated as Wars are raging in the Middle East and fears about widespread incidents of anti-Semitism are increasing. The holidays rarely overlap because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and does not agree with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas on December 25th. The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005.
Germany’s cheers fell silent after market attack
The German celebrations were darkened by a Car attack at a Christmas market In Magdeburg on Friday, five people died, including a nine-year-old boy, and 200 people were injured. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rewrote his recorded Christmas speech on the occasion of the attack and said: “There is sadness, pain, horror and incomprehension about what happened in Magdeburg.” He called on the Germans to “stand together” and that “hate and Violence should not have the last word.”
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor, who had been working as a doctor in Germany since 2006, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. The suspect’s X account describes him as a former Muslim and is full of anti-Islamic themes. He criticized the authorities for failing to combat “the Islamization of Germany” and spoke out in favor of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Reuters news agency contributed to reporting.
