Jubilee, the grace of the indulgence and the importance of the Jubilee Churches

With just a few days to go until the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, the moment which will officially launch the Jubilee Year of 2025, Catholics from across the globe are organizing pilgrimages to Rome to visit the tombs of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, pass through the Holy Door and carry out the norms required to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence.

In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, Pope Francis emphasized how indulgences acquired in that context had "a particular importance" (Misericordiae vultus, 22), since the mercy of God "becomes the indulgence of the Father who, through the Bride of Christ, reaches out to the forgiven sinner and frees him from every residue of the consequence of sin". Similarly, for this Holy Year, the Holy Father emphasizes that the gift of the Jubilee Indulgence "is a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy. Not by chance, for the ancients, the terms ‘mercy’ and ‘indulgence’ were interchangeable, as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds." (Spes non confundit, 23). The Indulgence is, therefore, a very real Jubilee grace.

A Decree of the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary has listed a series of sacred places that can be visited to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, following the norms laid out in the same document.

In addition to the four major papal basilicas, St. Peter's in the Vatican, St. John Lateran’s, St. Mary Major’s and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the four Holy Doors will be opened, Rome will offer a series of other pilgrimage itineraries, which can be consulted on the official website at the link: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/pellegrinaggio/cammini-giubilari-dentro-roma.html

These are the traditional pilgrimage of the Seven Churches, the pilgrimage entitled "Europe in Rome" which visits the churches historically linked to various European countries and that of the "Women Patrons of Europe and Doctors of the Church”.

In addition to the itineraries described above, other Jubilee Churches are also included in the list, which can be consulted at the link: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/pellegrinaggio/le-chiese-giubilari.html

Among them are: San Paolo alla Regola, San Salvatore in Lauro, Santa Maria in Vallicella, Santa Caterina da Siena, Santo Spirito dei Napoletani, Santa Maria del Suffragio, San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini, Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli, Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, Santa Prisca, Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Il Santuario del Divino Amore, and Santa Maria Addolorata

Each of these places enriches the visiting pilgrim with its own unique history which reflects the variety and depth of the Christian tradition. Those who visit these Churches will have the opportunity to come into contact with a different aspect of the faith and enjoy a personal experience which will enrich their own Jubilee journey.