The Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica has a very special appeal. Not only because it is in fact the most known Holy Door in the world, but above all because it is always the first door to be opened in the Jubilee Year. This will also be the case for the upcoming Jubilee. Pope Francis in his Bull of Indiction Spes non confundit wrote verbatim: ‘‘Sustained by this great tradition, and certain that the Jubilee Year will be for the entire Church a lively experience of grace and hope, I hereby decree that the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican will be opened on December 24th 2024, thus inaugurating the Ordinary Jubilee’’ (No. 6).

With the originality that characterizes him, Card. Angelo Comastri, the faithful custodian of the Basilica for many years, thought of making a pilgrimage commenting on the 16 panels that make up the Holy Door. It is a short but tense journey into the mysteries of Christ’s life that give intelligence to the rite with which each pilgrim will pass through the Holy Door. After all, Jesus himself used the symbolism of the door to reveal an aspect of the mission he received from the Father. His words remain as a seal imprinted in the minds of Christians: “I am the door: if anyone enters through me, he will be saved; he will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9). The Holy Door, therefore, deserves to be valued with all the symbolism it carries. Those who cross that threshold know that they are not performing a magical act, but a rite that commits them to meditation and prayer. That door indicates the encounter with Christ and the choice to pass through Him with the conversion of life that leads to salvation.

The attentive pilgrim will be able to fix his gaze on those 16 panels and realise that he is embedded in a story that leads him into the mystery of salvation. Step by step, he will understand how far the mystery of God’s love has developed.