Israel is eagerly preparing to welcome Catholic pilgrims from around the globe for the Jubilee Year of 2025, a time of profound spiritual renewal. This sacred year, rooted in both biblical and Catholic traditions, offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the Holy Land, where faith, history, and culture converge. Interestingly, this is also a special year when Christians of all denominations will celebrate together Holy Week (April 13-19, 2025), Easter (April 20, 2025) and Pentecost (June 8, 2025).
The Catholic Church has designated the Holy Land as a special destination for Jubilee pilgrimages. Israel is honored to host pilgrims and is committed to creating an enriching and memorable experience for every visitor.
“In this Jubilee year, Israel extends a heartfelt invitation to Filipino pilgrims to embark on a transformative spiritual journey. Explore the sacred sites of the Holy Land, where history and faith converge, while experiencing the unparalleled warmth and hospitality of its people. We look forward to welcoming you to Israel soon. Together, let us all be Pilgrims of Hope.”
The word Jubilee originates from the Hebrew word Yovel, meaning ram, referencing the sound of the shofar (the ram’s horn). Heard by the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20), the shofar is a call to inner awakening, a reminder of the need for freedom and justice. The sound of the shofar marks important moments and, in many traditions, is believed to “awaken the heavens.” Even today in Israel, the shofar heralds the arrival of the new year and can be heard in the streets and synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Jubilee Year marks the culmination of seven sabbatical cycles, a time of liberation, rest, and restoration for the land and its people. This tradition continues in Israel today through the observance of Shmita, where agricultural fields lie fallow every seven years.
Meaning and Significance of the Jubilee Year
In Catholicism, the Jubilee Year is a holy and special year of grace, forgiveness, and renewal, inviting believers to deepen their faith and reconnect with the “heart of the church” in Rome. Traditionally held every 25 years, it is a time to seek forgiveness of sins, cancellation of debts, and universal forgiveness for all believers.
Catholic Jubilees typically include a pilgrimage to holy sites, principally St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with its holy doors. Those who walk through them in a Jubilee year are forgiven for all their sins, as they receive plenary indulgence.
A Pilgrimage of Hope to the Holy Land
The Jubilee Year 2025 theme, Pilgrims of Hope, resonates deeply in the Holy Land, a region rich with sacred sites and religious significance. Continuing the trend established in the year 2000 when Pope John Paul II expanded the Jubilee to the Holy Land, Pope Francis has proclaimed that pilgrims can also receive indulgence by visiting at least one of three basilicas in the Holy Land:
- the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth
- the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem
- the Basilica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
These locations are central to the Christian faith and offer pilgrims the chance to deepen their spiritual connection through prayer, reflection, and fellowship.
