The Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica will be opening in less than 40 days, marking the beginning of the Jubilee Year, an event that takes place every 25 years.
“The Jubilee Year 2025 offers us many opportunities. I think its central message of hope is important for our world,” explained Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross to The Irish Catholic. Bishop Fintan Gavin is working on the preparations for this occasion on an Irish level, “the challenge is trying to bring a universal message back to the local Church. We’ll do that in various ways through our places of pilgrimage… One of the big events is the Jubilee of Youth, which we’ve already begun preparing with various movements, and religious orders with youth ministries.”
The Irish Episcopal Conference has recently held a virtual meeting with over 40 youth representatives, “and it was very well attended,” shared Bishop Fintan Gavin. “The hope is to make the Jubilee of Youth accessible, especially since the next World Youth Day in South Korea is quite far and costly. We’re actively working on accommodations and flights, to make Rome a viable option,” said Bishop Fintan Gavin. The Jubilee Year is not only about Rome, “The goal is to strengthen the faith within the local Church and ensure these larger events support, rather than replace, local faith-building efforts.”