New holy year 2025: A pilgrimage experience full of hope!

New holy year 2025: A pilgrimage experience full of hope!

Rom, Italien - Vatican city/Vienna, 06.12.2024 - The Vatican is intensively preparing for the Holy Year 2025, which is under the motto "Pilgrim of Hope". Young and old believers can now find out about a special anniversary app and the website www.iubilaeum2025.va about all planned events. Pilgrims who want to visit Rome have the option of registering free of charge and receiving an online pilgrimage with QR code. You can already register for events and reserve appointments for the passage through the holy gates of the papal basil. This special opportunity to walk through the goals of faith will lure 45 million pilgrims from all over the world to Rome, as the Archdiocese of Paderborn reports.

A highlight of the anniversary will be the official logo, which symbolically stands for the unity of all people from the “four corners of the earth”. These stylized figures that hug, embody solidarity and fraternity at a time when faith and hope are more important than ever. The Vatican Holy Year Operated Archbishop Rino Fisichella emphasizes that this symbol also represents the challenges of life. The mascot "Luce", an encouraging figure system with large googly eyes and a pilgrimage, which is adorned with a colorful rosary, provides additional joy. The figure is supposed to present the message of hope and inclusiveness, according to the Vatican.

tradition and rituals of the Holy Year

The tradition of the Holy Year goes far back - since 1300 the Catholic Church has been calling for this spiritual journey every 25 years. Pope Bonifatius VIII introduced the practice to consolidate the faith and that believing Christians are stimulated to ride to Rome for pilgrimage. In addition to regular holy years, there were always extraordinary occasions. The last was the "Holy Year of Mercy" from 2015 to 2016, in which Pope Francis wanted to highlight the central message of the gospel, the mercy of God. During the coming Holy Year, numerous special services and pilgrimages will be organized, accompanied by a special liturgy that is prepared by the dioceses.

In the diocese of St. Pölten, a creative pilgrimage strap is introduced, which enables believers to collect memories of the "churches of hope". This promotes the connection with the Holy Year in a variety of ways, whereby the focus is on spirituality and pilgrims can take a visual memory of their journey home with them. This innovative approach shows how faith can be revived by modern forms of expression, while the deep roots in the tradition of the Catholic Church remain.

Find out more about the preparations and events for the Holy Year 2025 on and Archbistum Paderborn .