As the year 2025 draws to a close, the Catholic Church reflects on a period of profound spiritual depth, unexpected grief, and groundbreaking transition. It began as a Jubilee Year, a rare holy season proclaimed every 25 years to renew faith through pilgrimage, forgiveness, and hope. Rooted in the ancient biblical tradition from the Book of Leviticus, where every 50th year brought liberation and restoration, the modern Jubilee invites the faithful to seek plenary indulgences, full remission of temporal punishment for sins—through prayer, sacraments, and acts of mercy. This year's theme, "Pilgrims of Hope," captured in Pope Francis's bull Spes non confundit ("Hope does not disappoint"), called Catholics worldwide to journey together in faith amid ongoing global trials, from conflicts to environmental crises, fostering communal prayer and solidarity. The Jubilee officially opened on Christmas Eve 2024, when Pope Francis solemnly knocked on and passed through...