The Vatican seals the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls in a solemn private rite led by Cardinal Harvey, marking the close of the Holy Year.
Newsroom (16/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) Under the dim glow of evening on January 15, a centuries-old tradition was quietly renewed within the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In a rite steeped in symbolism and reverence, the Holy Door of the papal basilica—crossed in recent months by millions of pilgrims during the Holy Year—was officially sealed. Presiding over the ceremony was Cardinal James Michael Harvey, the archpriest of the basilica, joined by Archishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, Master of the Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies, and Monsignor Ján Dubina, who directed the proceedings. The gathering also included Abbot Donato Ogliari and Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
In his brief opening prayer, Cardinal Harvey invoked blessings for all pilgrims who had passed through the Holy Door in faith, recalling the enduring virtues of Saint Paul—faith that burns with zeal, hope that does not disappoint, and love that endures forever. His words set a tone of gratitude and continuity, linking this solemn act to the journey of countless believers whose footsteps had carried them into the heart of the Basilica during the Jubilee Year.
The Rite of the Sealing
The task of walling up the sacred entrance fell to the Vatican’s master builders under the direction of the Governorate of the Vatican City State. With practiced precision, they erected a brick wall just inside the threshold, formally closing the portal until the next Holy Year. Within the structure, they placed a specially crafted bronze capsule—capsa—engraved with the coats of arms of Pope Francis, who inaugurated the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, and of Pope Leo XIV, who brought it to its conclusion.
The bronze container held a collection of symbolic objects: a metal scroll detailing the opening and closing of the Holy Door, signed by several witnesses present; commemorative medals in gold and silver from the first and final years of Pope Leo XIV’s and Pope Francis’s pontificates; ten bronze medals commemorating the decade between the Jubilee of Mercy (2016) and the Holy Year 2025; a bronze medal representing the 2025 Sede Vacante; and a special silver medal struck by the basilica for the occasion. Resting among these items, enclosed in a small pouch, lay the very key to the Holy Door—an emblem of the faith’s mysteries now sealed until its next unveiling.
The bronze capsa was then placed within a lead container, soldered and sealed to ensure its preservation. In a gesture rich with liturgical meaning, Cardinal Harvey and Archbishop Ravelli each set two bricks into place, signifying the start of the final stage of the walling process. The opening was lastly covered with a marble slab etched with a simple cross, marking not an end, but a continuation—a quiet threshold between past and future devotion.
The ritual concluded with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and a solemn blessing, the quiet hum of voices echoing beneath the vast arches of the basilica.
A Tradition of Renewal
This evening, the sacred rhythm continues as the Vatican prepares to seal the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the central and most emblematic of the Jubilee Doors. Together, these rites symbolize the closing of one sacred chapter in the Church’s history and the anticipation of another to come.
In the hush of last night’s ceremony, under the gaze of Saint Paul’s monumental basilica, the Church reaffirmed what these rituals have meant across centuries: the enduring bridge between faith, history, and the pilgrim’s path that never truly ends.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
