The Pope hasn’t formally announced it yet, but the next Holy Year will most likely be held in 2033, marking 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Christ.
“We must now look to the future.” At the conference on the outcome of the 2025 Jubilee, Archbishop Rino Fisichella presented the Holy Year that had just ended as a “preparation” for the extraordinary Jubilee that should be held in 2033.
"This Holy Year points the way to another fundamental commemoration for all Christians. In 2033, we will celebrate 2,000 years of Redemption accomplished through the Passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus," explained the Italian archbishop.
Archbishop Fisichellla, age 74, has just led his second Jubilee, having already been at the helm during the Holy Year of Mercy in 2015-2016.
When asked about the practical details of a 2033 event, Archbishop Fisichella remained cautious, specifying that it’s an “option.” However, he explained, it will be up to the Pope to convene it through a bull of indiction that will specify the details. Seven years in advance, it is too early to make precise plans.
This opinion was shared at the press conference by the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who pointed out that it’s impossible for his municipality to plan so far ahead, given the constraints of the electoral calendar. When asked about major works, he merely touched on the possibility of a “tunnel under the Via della Conciliazione,” which is still very hypothetical.
From Rome to Jerusalem
In Spes non confundit, the bull of indiction for the 2025 Jubilee, Pope Francis already paved the way. He explained:
The Holy Year will also guide our steps towards yet another fundamental celebration for all Christians: 2033 will mark the two thousandth anniversary of the redemption won by the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We are about to make a pilgrimage marked by great events, in which the grace of God precedes and accompanies his people as they press forward firm in faith, active in charity and steadfast in hope…
He also mentioned the 2033 Jubilee during meetings with the priests of Rome.
But will Rome be as central as it was during the past year? Nothing is certain in this regard. For the moment, the only hint from Leo XIV in this regard concerned the project of a great ecumenical pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
A potential jubilee with strong ecumenical flavor
Leo addressed this theme during the recent commemoration of the Council of Nicaea last November.
During his trip to Turkey, Leo XIV invited Christian leaders “to walk together on the spiritual path that leads to the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033.” The Pontiff evoked “the prospect of a return to Jerusalem, to the Cenacle, the site of Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples — where he washed their feet — and the site of Pentecost.”
It was there that Jesus prayed "that they all may be one."
The Holy Land would therefore be a particular focus of attention for this Jubilee in 2033. Some observers imagine that a holy door (or doors?) could be installed in Jerusalem, in a specific location or locations yet to be determined.
However, a holy door in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre would pose logistical and ecclesiological difficulties, in this place shared by several denominations. A place directly administered by the Catholic Church might be more suitable. But this “return to common roots” could in any case represent a powerful symbol and provide motivation to support the Christian communities of the Holy Land.
A decentralized Jubilee?
A holy door in Jerusalem could coexist with the traditional holy doors in Rome in the major basilicas, as a form of decentralization is entirely conceivable. During the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, holy doors were opened in all the cathedrals of the world. As a sign of attention to the peripheries, Pope Francis himself opened the door of the cathedral in Bangui, Central African Republic, a few days before that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Various formats are therefore possible, expanding on the model proposed during the extraordinary jubilees of 1933 and 1983, which also commemorated the Redemption offered by Christ.
The 1983 Jubilee left a visible legacy: the Cross of Redemption displayed on that occasion in St. Peter's Basilica was later given by John Paul II to young people and now travels around the world. Now known as the “WYD Cross,” it’s currently in South Korea, ahead of next year's gathering in Seoul.
It's the pope's call
The current pope, who is still relatively young, still has time to reflect on the program he wishes to propose for this Jubilee, the organization of which will also depend on the international situation.
Leo XIV, who would be 77 at the opening, would be the fourth pope to experience two jubilees. The previous ones were Pius XI, who welcomed the faithful to Rome in 1925 and 1933, John Paul II, pontiff during the Holy Years of 1983 and 2000, and Francis, initiator of the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-2016, who also opened the Jubilee of 2025.
