Pope celebrates Christmas and opens 'Holy Year' in Rome

Christmas under the sign of the Jubilee: Pope Francis opened the“Holy Year” 2025 of the Catholic Church, a great international pilgrimage for which more than 30 million faithful from all over the world are expected in Rome. In front of an audience of bishops and cardinals, officials including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, thousands of people in St. Peter's Square and on Mondovision, the Argentine Jesuit opened the “Holy Door” of Saint Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican, symbolizing the inauguration of this “Ordinary Jubilee”.

Seated in a wheelchair, Jorge Bergoglio knocked on the heavy bronze door before silently meditating on his threshold and entering the monumental basilica, archi-filled, followed by a long procession, while the bells rang at the exterior. Throughout the year, pilgrims will be able to pass through this door, walled up in ordinary times, in order to receive the“plenary indulgence”the forgiveness of sins according to Catholic tradition.

The 88-year-old pope, recently weakened by a cold, immediately presided over the Christmas night mass in Saint Peter's Basilica before giving his traditional blessing on Wednesday at 12 p.m. “City and World” (“To the city and to the world”). He should on this occasion provide an overview of conflicts in the world and renew his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, three days after his criticism against the “cruelty” strikes in Gaza which sparked protests from Israeli diplomacy.

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Overtourism

After the deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany, security was reinforced around the Vatican. Some 700 additional agents have been deployed to Rome, according to the Italian Interior Ministry. “Just being here I already feel blessed”Lisbeth Dembele, a French tourist, told AFPTV. “It was a special occasion for us, for the whole family”adds her husband, Marcel Dembele, who hopes that the pope will call for a “just peace”.

The Last Jubilee “ordinary”in the year 2000 under John Paul II, brought together 25 million people. Organized every 25 years, the Jubilee is intended as a time of conversion and penance for the faithful and is accompanied by a long list of cultural and religious events: masses, exhibitions, conferences, concerts, etc. prepare for it, Rome was the scene of major works which put the patience of motorists to the test to restore the monuments and ease traffic flow.

In a city already stormed by millions of visitors and known for the failure of its public transport, the event raises questions about overtourism and environmental impact, while the pope has made integral ecology a pillar of his pontificate. The opening of the “Holy Door” will be followed in the coming days by those of the three other major basilicas in Rome and thousands of others in churches all over the world. Faithful to his attachment to the marginalized, Francis wants to celebrate this tradition on Thursday in the Roman prison of Rebibbia, where he will preside over a mass as a sign of closeness with the inmates.