In the heart of Vatican City, Saint Peter’s Basilica welcomes the faithful from around the world in the 2025 Jubilee Year, celebrated under the theme Pilgrims of Hope. For Catholics, a Jubilee is a Holy Year, proclaimed every twenty-five years, that invites the faithful to renewal, reconciliation, and forgiveness. At its centre is the opening of the Holy Door—a great bronze portal of the basilica’s northernmost entrance. Normally sealed from within by bricks and mortar, it is opened only for a Jubilee. To pass through is to make a symbolic journey from sin to grace, an act of pilgrimage offering plenary indulgence to those who walk in prayer and faith. Saint Peter’s Basilica itself stands as the chief church of the Roman Catholic faith, built upon the site where tradition holds that the Apostle Peter—first among the popes—was martyred and buried. The vast Renaissance dome designed by Michelangelo dominates the skyline, a beacon to pilgrims entering the Eternal City. Within its walls are treasures of devotion and artistry: Michelangelo’s Pietà, portraying Mary holding her crucified son with serene sorrow; Bernini’s bronze baldachin rising over the papal altar; and statues of saints, apostles, and founders of religious orders that line the nave, embodying the Church’s universal reach. Stepping outside, Saint Peter’s Square embraces visitors with Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s colonnades, symbolically extending the arms of the Church to welcome humanity. Here too stand monumental statues of Christ, the Apostles, and generations of saints who inspire those who gather. Beyond the basilica, Vatican City remains the world’s smallest sovereign state, yet it houses the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the central offices of the Catholic Church, making it the spiritual and administrative heart of Catholicism. The Jubilee tradition dates back to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII declared the first Holy Year, inviting pilgrims to Rome for spiritual renewal. Since then, Jubilees have been celebrated at regular intervals, always marked by prayer, works of charity, and the crossing of the Holy Door. In 2025, as millions of pilgrims make their way to Rome, the title Pilgrims of Hope reflects both the personal journey of faith and the collective yearning for peace, compassion, and reconciliation in a divided world. 回