Originally published at National Catholic Register
Cardinal James Harvey, a native of Milwaukee, opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday.
American Cardinal James Harvey opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, completing the opening of all five Holy Doors in Rome for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
Pilgrims who visit Rome during the Jubilee, a holy year celebrated every 25 years, will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence by passing through the doors.
“The opening of the Holy Door marks the salvific passage opened by Christ through his Incarnation, death and resurrection, calling all members of the Church to be reconciled with God and with one another,” Cardinal Harvey said.
The ceremony began in the basilica’s column-lined courtyard with the ancient sound of a shofar, a ram’s horn historically used by the ancient Israelites to announce jubilee years, as recorded in the Bible.
