Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, closed the basilica’s holy door on Christmas evening, as the 2025 jubilee year begins to come to a close.
“What is being closed is not divine grace, but a special time for the Church; while what remains open forever is the heart of merciful God,” said Cardinal Makrickas, who noted that 2025 was the first jubilee year since 1700 with two popes.
Under the altered schedule for the conclusion of the jubilee year, the archpriest of the Lateran Basilica will close the holy door there on December 27. The archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls will close the holy door there on December 28, and Pope Leo XIV will end the jubilee year with the closing of the holy door at St. Peter’s Basilica on January 6.