Pope Francis: The Jubilee 2025 begins with the Bull of Indiction of 9 May 2024

The Holy Father Francis will preside on Thursday 9 May 2024 , at 5.30 pm, in the evocative setting of St. Peter's Basilica, the ceremony of delivery and reading of the Bull of indiction of the Jubilee 2025 and the Second Vespers of the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

The most authoritative representatives of the Church will be present at the ceremony, including the Patriarchs, the Cardinals, the Archbishops, the Bishops and the Apostolic Prothonotaries of number, who, wearing their choral robes, will gather in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica at 4.45pm to take part in the delivery and reading of the Bull.

The ceremony, of great spiritual and religious significance, will represent a moment of reflection and communion for all the faithful, marking the beginning of a period of preparation and anticipation towards the Jubilee of 2025.

The Papal Bull in history

The tradition of the Jubilee recalls the proclamation through a Papal Bull of Indiction, an official document generally written in Latin and sealed by the Pope. Originally, the seal was made of lead, depicting the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on the front and the name of the Pontiff on the back. Subsequently, an ink stamp replaced the metal seal, but the latter is still used for documents of particular importance.

Each Bull is identified by its first words. For example, Saint John Paul II proclaimed the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 with the Bull "Incarnationis mysterium" ("The Mystery of the Incarnation"), while Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015-2016) with the Bull "Misericordiae vultus" ("The face of mercy").

Pope Francis and the Jubilee 2025

Usually, the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, which contains the start and end dates of the Holy Year, is issued the previous year, to coincide with the Solemnity of the Ascension. For the Jubilee of 2025, we expect the publication on May 9, 2024.