Pilgrims are lining up to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as Christmas marks the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration.

Pilgrims lined up early to walk through the Holy Door at the entrance of St Peter’s Basilica as Christmas marked the start of the 2025 Holy Year

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Tuesday opens the 2025 Holy Year, kicking off a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and test the pope's stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them.

Opening the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, Pope Francis inaugurates a jubilee year expected to draw 32 million visitors to Rome.

Marking the Holy Year of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis opened a Holy Door at a prison in Rome on Thursday, offering a message of hope and forgiveness to inmates. "Do not lose hope, that is the message I want to give you,