Vicar of the Diocese of Rome opens the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral

The Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, opened this December 29 the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral, within the framework of Jubilee 2025.

According to Vatican NewsCardinal Reina assured that on this day “we feel deeply united to the Holy Father: this is his cathedral, the Church that presides in charity and communion. We experience your embrace and your support, and we assure you of our prayers.”

This is the third Holy Door to open in the Diocese of Rome, after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, opened by Pope Francis on December 24; and that of the Rebibbia prison, which the Holy Father opened two days later.

Two papal basilicas are awaiting the opening of their Holy Doors: Santa María la Mayor, on January 1; and San Pablo Outside the Walls, on January 5.

Reflecting on the parable of the “prodigal son”—also known as the “merciful father”—Cardinal Reina noted that “no matter how far we have gone, no matter what we have done, wasted or ruined. The moment we have decided to return we will never find a closed door, but rather a hug that welcomes and blesses.”

“The home that awaits us is none other than the Father’s abode, his heart, a place where we are seen even when we cannot yet see him. It is a heart that moves towards us when we are still far away, because He has never been separated from us,” he said.

Crossing the Holy Door, he added, “is an invitation to respond to God’s grace with an open heart, allowing ourselves to be reconciled by his embrace that restores our dignity and allows us to build relationships of authentic fraternity.”