The Jubilee Year of Mercy

The Jubilee Year of Mercy will take place from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016. Millions of pilgrims are expected to journey to Rome to participate in the Jubilee year events.

On April 11, 2015, Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.  This Jubilee Holy Year began on December 8, 2015 and will end on November 20, 2016. Millions of pilgrims are expected to journey to Rome to participate in the Jubilee year events.

Pilgrim Registration and Accessing the Holy Doors

Anyone considering participating in any Jubilee initiative, from taking part in an event or making a pilgrimage, should consult the official Jubilee Year website.

The Jubilee Year began in Rome with Pope Francis’s opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on December 8.  In order to visit a Holy Door at St. Peter’s or one of the papal basilicas in Rome, reservations must be made online.

Walking routes have been set up for pilgrims and visitors wishing to make the pilgrimage from the papal basilicas leading up to St. Peter’s Basilica.  Maps of all pilgrim walking routes are available. Please remember that during the Jubilee year the path along Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter’s Square will be fenced off for security reasons.

The Holy See has launched a Pilgrim Information Center which is open daily from 7:30am to 6:30pm on Via della Conciliazione, 7.  There you can obtain information on the Jubilee schedule, registering for the reserved walkway to the Holy Door, collecting tickets for the various events for which a free access ticket is required, and collecting the “testimonium” official certificate of participation in the Jubilee. 

The Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Via Acciaioli, 2, 00186 Roma) has been designated as the English Language pilgrims centre. Visitors and pilgrims will find a variety of activities and material available to them in English. 

For a list of all major Jubilee events, visit the Vatican’s Jubilee website.