Jubilee in the Catholic Church

A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins, debts and universal pardon. In the Book of Leviticus, a jubilee year is mentioned to occur every 50th year (after 49 years, 7x7, as per Lev 25:8, NRSV) during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest.

In Western Christianity, the tradition dates to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII convoked a holy year, following which ordinary jubilees have generally been celebrated every 25 or 50 years, with extraordinary jubilees in addition depending on need. Catholic jubilees, particularly in the Latin Church, generally involve a pilgrimage to a sacred site, normally the city of Rome.

The most recent holy year was the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015–2016). The present ordinary Jubilee Year of Hope commenced on 24 December 2024.