The Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Baldo Reina, opens the Holy Door of St John Lateran’s for the Jubilee

On December 29, at 10am, the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Baldo Reina, presided over the rite of the opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of Rome, thus marking one of the most important opening moments of the Jubilee of Hope. After the opening, the Cardinal Vicar was the first to pass through the Door, entering the Basilica, which was already full, to celebrate Sunday Mass on the Feast of the Holy Family. After him, the concelebrating bishops and priests crossed the threshold, together with a group of families.

"The Holy Door which we have passed through," said His Eminence during the homily, "reminds us of that daily moment when we cross the threshold of our homes. This door, now wide open, brings us not only into the house of the Lord, but into the depths of his heart."

The cardinal also referred to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, from the Gospel of Luke: "The open arms of the Father are the holy door. It does not matter how far we have gone; it is not relevant what we have done, or wasted or ruined. From the moment we decide to return, we will never find a closed door, but an embrace that welcomes and blesses us." And he continued: "From those open arms we learn to be Church, to become sacrament, the family of God which orientates our use of our freedom towards the good."

After the Celebration, hundreds of faithful lined up in front of the Basilica to pass through the Holy Door. From now on San Giovanni in Laterano, as the spiritual heart of Rome and all of Christianity, will welcome pilgrims coming to Rome from all over the world for the Jubilee, offering them a unique and transformative experience of faith, in which the hope of God becomes a guiding light for every step on their journey of faith and community.

On January 1, the feast of Mary Most Holy Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore will be opened.