Pope Leo XIV Closes Holy Door, Concluding Jubilee Year of Hope on the Epiphany

Vatican city, January 6, 2026— On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, bringing the Jubilee Year of Hope to its official conclusion before around 5,800 faithful.

At the beginning of the liturgy, the Pope closed the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the final Holy Door opened during the Jubilee. The symbolic act marked the end of months in which countless pilgrims crossed the threshold of the Basilica as “pilgrims of hope,” journeying towards what the Pope described as “the new Jerusalem, the city whose doors are always open.”

In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel from Matthew, Pope Leo contrasted the joy of the Magi with the fear of King Herod. He noted that Sacred Scripture never conceals the tension surrounding God’s manifestation. Whenever God reveals Himself, he said, contrasting reactions emerge — joy and agitation, obedience and resistance, longing and fear. The Epiphany, he explained, reveals a God whose presence changes everything, ushering in something new that shapes both present and future, fulfilling the prophetic call: “Arise, shine; for your light has come.”

The Pope observed that Jerusalem, a city familiar with revelation, was unsettled by the Magi’s search. Those convinced they already possess all the answers, he said, often lose the ability to ask questions and to long. Their unease, triggered by people “moved by hope,” challenges the Church today to examine its own response to seekers.

Turning to the Jubilee experience, Pope Leo invited reflection on the searching hearts of men and women today. Like the Magi, many still feel compelled to set out, accepting risks in a world that can be harsh and uncertain. The Gospel, he stressed, calls the Church not to fear this search but to recognise it and guide it towards God, who cannot be controlled or confined like lifeless idols, but who is living and life-giving.

Holy places, he said, must communicate life. Jubilee pilgrimage sites should convey “the aroma of life” and the awareness that a new world has begun. He asked pointedly whether there is space within the Church for new life to be born and whether believers truly proclaim a God who sends people on a journey.

In contrast, the Pope pointed to Herod, whose fear of losing power distorted his response to God’s action. Fear, he warned, blinds, whereas the joy of the Gospel liberates, enabling believers to be prudent yet bold, attentive and creative.

Concluding his homily, Pope Leo recalled that at the heart of the Epiphany lies a gift beyond control or purchase: the child adored by the Magi, revealed not in splendour but in humility. Calling the faithful to remain “pilgrims of hope,” he said the Church, if it resists becoming a monument and remains a home, can become “the generation of a new dawn,” guided by Mary, Star of the Morning, towards a humanity transformed by God made flesh out of love.

Pope Leo XIV Closes Holy Door, Concluding Jubilee Year of Hope on the Epiphany

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