Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to pass through the great Holy Door at the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica as Christmas Day marked the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebrations, which are expected to bring some 32 million Catholics to Rome.
Passing the Holy Door is one way to receive an indulgence, or forgiveness of sins, during the Jubilee, a quarter-century tradition that dates back to the 1300s. On the eve of Christmas, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to enter through it, opening the 2025 jubilee, which he dedicated to hope.
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Pilgrims were screened before entering the Holy Door, amid renewed security concerns following the fatal shooting Attack on the Christmas market in Germany. Many stopped to touch the door as they passed and made the sign of the cross as they entered the Basilica of St. Peter, founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
Beauty is inside the recently restored St. Peter's Cathedral was opened after large-scale restoration work in preparation for the Jubilee Year.
One of the most significant restorations is c Bernini's canopycanopy that sits on top the tomb of St. Peterremoving centuries of grime to show off its gleaming gold finish. St. Peter's pulpit, an important symbol of papal authority dating back to 875 AD, was also restored.
At noon local time, Francis gave the traditional address “Urbi et Orbi” – “To the City and the World”, focusing on the challenges facing the world this year.
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Addressing thousands of people in the square below from the central balcony of St. Peter's, Reuters reported, the pope said: “Let the roar of the war-torn arms be silenced Ukraine!”
He called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to “achieve a just and lasting peace” and end the war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since Moscow's full-scale invasion more than two years ago. The conflict did not stop at the holiday, because Russia implemented what it called “massive strike” on energy facilities in Ukraine for Christmas.
Pope Francis also renewed his call for a ceasefire in Israel-Hamas warcausing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “very seriously,” and called for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
In his message on Wednesday, the Pope said the Jubilee Year should be a time for “each person, all people and nations…to become pilgrims of hope to silence the roar of arms and overcome divisions.”
Christmas and Hanukkah coincide, a rare occurrence
HanukkahThe eight-day Festival of Lights in Judaism begins this year on Christmas, which has happened only four times since 1900.
The juxtaposition of the calendars has inspired some religious leaders to hold interfaith gatherings, such as the Chicanooka party organized last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, which brought together members of the city's Latino and Jewish communities for latkes, a traditional potato pancake eaten on Hanukkah, seasoned with guacamole and salsa.
Although Hanukkah is intended as a cheerful, solemn holiday, the rabbis note that it is being held this year as there are wars in the Middle East and growing fears of widespread anti-Semitism. The holidays rarely coincide because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and is out of sync with the Gregorian calendar, which has Christmas on December 25th. The last time Hanukkah started on Christmas Day was in 2005.
Celebrations in Germany died down after the attack on the market
German celebrations were overshadowed by a car attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday, killing five people, including a 9-year-old boy, and injuring 200 people. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier rewrote his recorded Christmas speech to draw attention to the attack, saying “there is sadness, pain, horror and misunderstanding of what happened in Magdeburg”. He urged Germans to “stand together” and that “hate and violence must not have the last word.”
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor, who had been practicing medicine in Germany since 2006, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. Suspect X's account describes him as a former Muslim and is filled with anti-Islamic themes. He criticized the authorities for failing to fight the “Islamization of Germany” and expressed support for the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
This was reported by the Reuters agency.