GIUBILEO

JUBILEE. - The Year of Jubilee is called in the Mosaic books, and allegorically in the prophetic books (Ez. 46:17), the year of remission (Septuagint: ἔτος τῇ ἀρχήσεως), which was to be observed every 50th year, and brought about the restoration of full social normality, primarily the remission of debts and the liberation of slaves. In Catholic penitential discipline, the term was adopted with a purely spiritual meaning, implying the remission of sins and the liberation from the punishments due to divine justice.

OUTLINE:

I. Hebrew Jubilee

II. Ordinary Christian Jubilee (Holy Year)

I. HEBREW JUBILEE.

From Heb. jōbēl, "ram's horn," since the announcement of the Jubilee was made by the priests with the sound of a ram's horn. At the end of the last year of each cycle of seven sabbatical years, the blowing of the horn announced the beginning of the fiftieth year, that is, the Jubilee year. At the end of each seven-year period, the act of remission was associated, which entailed that every creditor should "let fall," as it were, what he had lent to his neighbor, the fellow Israelite. The year of remission also involved the liberation of Hebrew slaves (Deut. 15:12). Israel, once a slave, had been liberated by the Lord (v. GÖEL), and God's example was to be followed by His faithful.

At the end of seven seven-year periods, in the seventh month of the religious year, the first of the civil year, which began in the latter half of the seventh month, Atonement (v.), the trumpet resounded throughout the Holy Land. Thus began, as in every seventh year, a sabbatical year. "A Jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: but ye may eat the increase thereof out of the field" (Lev. 25:11 ff.). This spontaneous produce was not to be stored in granaries, but could be gathered piecemeal by all: by the owner, but also by anyone, and naturally first of all by the poor. The seventh year and the Jubilee year thus put into practice the principle that the land belonged to the Lord and therefore to all.

The Jubilee year also meant the proclamation of liberty to all the inhabitants of the land and the restoration of property to its original owners, without, however, preventing free buying and selling in the years preceding the Jubilee, since transactions took into account the greater or lesser proximity of the Jubilee year. The restoration of landed property in the seventh and Jubilee years and other similar legal institutions were based on the principle that the inhabitants and owners of the fields were "strangers and sojourners with Me" (Lev. 25:23 ff.).

With the institution of the seventh and fiftieth years, "an equilibrium was restored in the distribution of land and in social classes. In practice, some traces of these institutions are found among the Jews before the exile; but after the exile there is no record that the law of the Jubilee was ever observed. Instead, the sabbatical year remained in full force until the destruction of the Jewish state (A.D. 70)" (A. Vaccari).

St. Paul makes known in 1 Cor. 7:20 ff. his views on slaves and the free: it is not the seventh year or the Jubilee that makes a man free, but the call of the Lord.

Eugenio Zolli

II. ORDINARY CHRISTIAN JUBILEE (HOLY YEAR)

1. CONCEPTS

Considered in its duration, that is, the year during which the Jubilee indulgence may be gained, the Jubilee is commonly called the Holy Year; and this not only because it begins, proceeds, and concludes with solemn sacred rites, but also because it is intended to promote holiness of life (Apostolic Constitution Infiniti Dei Misericordia of 29 May 1924, in AAS, 16 [1924], p. 209).

The Jubilee may be: ordinary, that is, major, or extraordinary, that is, minor; the former is that proclaimed in the Holy Years; the latter is usually proclaimed for some event of particular importance.

2. HISTORY

Church, in 1389 Urban VI decreed from Rome that, in memory of the years of Christ’s earthly life, the Jubilee should be celebrated every 33 years and announced it for the following year; and since to the visit of the two Apostolic Basilicas was added that of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Urban decided that the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore should also be visited; thus the complete number of basilicas to be visited was established. Due to the death of Urban, his successor Boniface IX celebrated that Jubilee, despite the wrath of the Avignon antipope. However, a great concourse of pilgrims also gathered in 1400, at the expiration of the term established by Clement VI, and Boniface IX himself confirmed the indulgence for that year as well. Although the 33 years decreed by Urban VI had already passed, Martin V, after the schism had ended and Rome was pacified, celebrated the Jubilee again in 1425, and on that occasion had the Holy Door of St. John Lateran opened; this is the first mention of such a ceremony.

Despite concerns over the Turkish threat and the spreading of a pestilence, Nicholas V was able to celebrate the Jubilee in 1450 with extraordinary solemnity and attendance, and it was particularly honored by the canonization of St. Bernardino of Siena, who was extremely popular throughout Italy. In 1470 Paul II thought to shorten the period for future Jubilees even further and reduced it to 25 years (Ineffabilis Providentia, 17 Apr. 1470: Bullarium Romanum, Turin ed., V, Turin 1860, pp. 200-203); accordingly, the new Jubilee was celebrated by Sixtus IV in 1475, but it left little mark on history. It fell to Alexander VI to celebrate the Jubilee in the centennial year 1500, and he prepared it with great care and propriety, prescribing the ceremonial that is still observed in its general lines: he established that the Holy Door should be opened in all four Patriarchal Basilicas; and, reserving that of St. Peter for himself, he deputed three cardinals as legates to open the other three simultaneously, fixing the rites and prayers.

Despite the religious struggles that disturbed the Church during the 16th century, the Jubilees were celebrated regularly at their appointed times; in particular, that of 1575, in the full fervor of religious restoration, was solemn in the number of pilgrims, in the assistance provided to them, in the processions, sermons, and special devotional discourses. By this time, that splendor had been introduced which, without impairing spiritual interiority, helped to maintain the popular character of the Jubilee that had existed from the beginning. And with this character, the Jubilees were celebrated in the 17th and 18th centuries; but the disturbances created by the French Revolution and the wars that followed prevented the Jubilee from being celebrated in the centennial year 1800, and for a moment doubt arose as to whether it should be celebrated in 1825, as it was claimed that the spirit of the times was too opposed to such manifestations. However, Leo XII overcame all uncertainty, and the Jubilee was celebrated according to traditional customs; but it was the only one in the 19th century because of political movements. Leo XIII wished the series to be resumed in 1900 in the traditional forms, which were then observed by Pius XI in 1925 and by Pius XII in 1950.

The Supreme Pontiff is accustomed, after closing the Holy Year in Rome, to extend the Jubilee to the entire Christian world.

**JUBILEE** – Bull of indiction of the first Jubilee (22 Feb. 1300), engraved on marble – Basilica of St. Peter, atrium.

of absolution from sins and more serious censures and of satisfaction for the corresponding canonical penalty. It cannot be denied, however, that there was a distant reference to the ancient Hebrew Jubilee, which was, however, of a quite different nature; but more directly, penitential movements with a strong emphasis on youth, which are noted especially in Italy from 1260 onward, prepared for its emergence. On the evening of the first day of 1300, an immense multitude rushed into the basilica of St. Peter in the belief that they would gain an extraordinary indulgence, and the phenomenon was repeated in the following days. Appeal was then made to an ancient tradition according to which the centennial year was to be considered a year of universal pardon; but no record of this was found in the Roman Curia. In any case, Boniface VIII, on 22 February, issued from St. Peter a bull by which a universal Jubilee was to be celebrated every hundred years, with the remission of guilt and punishment for those who, being penitent and having confessed, had made 30 visits, if Roman; 15, if foreigners, to the Vatican and Ostian Basilicas. This Jubilee had a wide resonance throughout Europe, which sent to Rome crowds of pilgrims, who were the object of papal care regarding their protection and provisions.

In the autumn of 1342, a delegation of Romans asked Clement VI, who was in Avignon, to grant the Jubilee every fifty years, so as to allow a greater number of the faithful to gain II. The Pope indeed granted it for 1350; but he did not leave Avignon to come to Rome as the Romans had hoped, while the spectacle of countless pilgrims coming from all parts to gain pardon was repeated.

In the midst of the period of schism and with the hope, certainly, of restoring unity to the scattered members of the Church, in 1389 Urban VI from Rome decreed that, in memory of the years of the mortal life of Jesus, the Jubilee should be celebrated every thirty-three years and he announced it for the following year; and since to the visit of the two Apostolic Basilicas had been added that of the Lateran Basilica, Urban decided that the Liberian Basilica should also be visited; so that the complete number of basilicas to be visited was thus established. Because of the death of Urban, it was his successor Boniface IX who celebrated that Jubilee, despite the wrath of the Avignon antipope. However, a crowd of pilgrims also gathered in 1400, at the expiration of the term established by Clement VI, and Boniface IX himself confirmed the pardon for that year as well. Although the thirty-three years decreed by Urban VI had passed two years earlier, Martin V, now that the schism was ended and Rome pacified, celebrated the Jubilee again in 1425, and on that occasion had the Holy Door of St. John Lateran opened; it is the first time mention is made of such a ceremony.

Despite concerns about the Turkish threat and the spread of a pestilence, Nicholas V was able in 1450 to celebrate the Jubilee with extraordinary solemnity and attendance, and it was given particular luster by the canonization of St. Bernardino of Siena, who was extremely popular throughout Italy. In 1470 Paul II thought to shorten the period for future Jubilees even more and limited it to twenty-five years (*Ineffabilis Providentia*, 17 Apr. 1470: *Bullarium Romanum*, Turin ed., V, Turin 1860, pp. 200-203); therefore the new Jubilee was celebrated by Sixtus IV in 1475, but it left little trace in history. It fell to Alexander VI to celebrate the Jubilee in the centennial year 1500, and he prepared it with great care and propriety, prescribing the ceremonial that is still observed in its general lines: he established that the Holy Door should be opened in all four Patriarchal Basilicas; and, reserving the one of St. Peter for himself, he deputed three cardinals who, as legates, would open the other three simultaneously, fixing the rites and prayers.

Despite the religious struggles that disturbed the Church during the 16th century, the Jubilees were celebrated regularly at their appointed times; in particular, that of 1575, in the full fervor of religious restoration, was solemn in the number of pilgrims, in the assistance provided to them, in the processions, sermons, and special devotional discourses. By this time, that splendor had been introduced which, without impairing spiritual interiority, helped to maintain the popular character of the Jubilee that had existed from the beginning. And with this character, the Jubilees were celebrated in the 17th and 18th centuries; but the disturbances created by the French Revolution and the wars that followed prevented the Jubilee from being celebrated in the centennial year 1800, and for a moment doubt arose as to whether it should be celebrated in 1825, as it was claimed that the spirit of the times was too opposed to such manifestations. However, Leo XII overcame all uncertainty, and the Jubilee was celebrated according to traditional customs; but it was the only one in the 19th century because of political movements. Leo XIII wished the series to be resumed in 1900 in the traditional forms, which were then observed by Pius XI in 1925 and by Pius XII in 1950.

The Supreme Pontiff is accustomed, after closing the Holy Year in Rome, to extend the Jubilee to the entire Christian world.

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**JUBILEE**

681 JUBILEE 682

List of Jubilees of the Holy Years.

1° 1300 Boniface VIII
2° 1350 Clement VI
3° 1390 Urban VI, Boniface IX
4° 1400 Boniface IX
5° 1425 Martin V
6° 1450 Nicholas V
7° 1475 Paul II, Sixtus IV
8° 1500 Alexander VI
9° 1525 Clement VII
10° 1550 (Paul III) Julius III
11° 1575 Gregory XIII
12° 1600 Clement VIII
13° 1625 Urban VIII
14° 1650 Innocent X
15° 1675 Clement X
16° 1700 Innocent XII, Clement XI
17° 1725 Benedict XIII
18° 1750 Benedict XIV
19° 1775 Clement XIV, Pius VI
20° 1800, not held, Pius VI. 21° 1825 Leo XII
22° 1850, not held, Pius IX
23° 1875, not held with customary solemnity, Pius IX
24° 1900 Leo XIII
25° 1925 Pius XI
26° 1950 Pius XII

### III. OBLIGATIONS AND CEREMONIES

The ordinary Jubilee begins in Rome with the first Vespers of the Nativity of the Lord (in memory of the beginning of the year *a nativitate*) of the immediately preceding year, on which day the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica takes place, performed by the Supreme Pontiff, while at the same time three cardinal legates *a latere* proceed to open the Holy Doors of the other three major basilicas of Rome, namely St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Paul Outside the Walls. It extends throughout the year until the first Vespers of the same solemnity of Christmas.

In order that the faithful may flock more numerously to Rome to gain the Jubilee indulgence, all indulgences, both plenary and partial (with only a few exceptions), granted for the living are suspended for the duration of the Holy Year; those granted for the dead are not suspended (Apostolic Constitution *Fore confidimus* of 10 July 1949, in AAS, 41 [1949], p. 337). Indeed, the same indulgences granted for the living may also be gained during this period, provided they are applied to the dead.

The usual conditions attached to the gaining of the ordinary Jubilee are Confession, Communion, visits to certain churches, and the recitation of certain prayers.

The Confession required is actual Confession; therefore it does not suffice to have the Confession required for other plenary indulgences (cf. can. 931 § 3), nor the annual or Paschal Confession. It cannot in any way be dispensed or commuted, not even when the penitent lacks the necessary matter. If, after making Confession, one falls back into mortal sin before completing the last prescribed work, the Confession must be repeated only if one is still to receive Communion; otherwise a perfect act of contrition suffices. Paschal Communion does not suffice unless it is a case of one who has neglected this precept; it does suffice if received as Viaticum. It may be commuted only in the case of the sick who are unable to receive II.
In Rome, moreover, it is necessary to visit the four major basilicas mentioned; outside Rome, the designation of the churches to be visited is reserved to the local Ordinaries. In an episcopal city, the cathedral church must be among the churches visited; in the rest of the diocese, the parish church. The visit requires entry into the church, unless this is prevented either by the multitude present or by the closure of the doors, in which case it suffices to pray before the church.

The prayers to be recited are not specified, but are left to the choice of individuals, unless the papal document should otherwise decree, as happened in the Jubilee of 1950, for which they were expressly established (Apostolic Constitution *Jubileum maximum* of 26 May 1949, in AAS, 41 [1949], pp. 258–59). These prayers must be vocal, not merely mental, and are usually recited during the visit to the designated churches. When fasting is prescribed, what is laid down in can. 1250 must be observed; therefore eggs and dairy products are not included, except during Lent. All are bound to this fast, even those who, by reason of age or other motives, are otherwise dispensed, for example, workers. Therefore, for those who cannot fast, a commutation is necessary. Almsgiving is likewise obligatory for all, even the poor who wish to gain the Jubilee. It may be commuted and may be performed by another, for example, a husband for his wife, a father for his children, a master for his servants, a rich person for a poor person.

In the ordinary Jubilee, certain confessors are granted special faculties by virtue of which they may commute or reduce the works enjoined for the gaining of the Jubilee, absolve from reserved sins and censures, commute vows, dispense from irregularities and impediments in favour of the faithful who intend to gain the Jubilee (Apostolic Constitution *Decessorum Nostrorum* of 10 July 1949, in AAS, 41 [1949], p. 340).

The number of times the Jubilee may be gained depends on the will of the Supreme Pontiff.

Serafino de Angelis

### III. THE CHRISTIAN EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE

In addition to the ordinary Jubilees of the Holy Years, from the 16th century onwards it became customary to proclaim extraordinary Jubilees in order to obtain, through prayer, fasting, good works, and frequent reception of the Sacraments, particular divine assistance in times of difficulty or crisis, whether for the universal Church or at the beginning of a pontificate (in the 20th century, the beginning of pontificates no longer had Jubilees). The duration of these Jubilees varied (from a few days to two weeks, several months, or even a year) and was always determined in the Apostolic Constitution by which they were proclaimed. Their beginning, both in Rome and elsewhere, was generally marked by a solemn penitential procession in the morning; in Rome the Pope participated with his entire court, and the procession often started from St Mary of the Angels and ended at St Mary Major. Among the prescribed works were: visits to the four basilicas or to other churches according to circumstances, special prayers, fasts (three days: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), almsgiving, Confession, and Communion. Confessors were granted broad faculties (“once only” for each penitent) even in cases contemplated in the bull read on *Maundy Thursday* (v. BULLA IN COENA DOMINI), and religious men and women could choose their confessor without the permission of their Superior. Outside Rome, the publication of the Jubilee was reserved to the Ordinary, who was to establish its contingent modalities.

The plenary indulgence “ad instar” or “per modum,” or “in the form of a Jubilee,” which in itself is nothing more than a customary plenary indulgence, cannot be considered a proper extraordinary Jubilee when it is not accompanied by the particular Jubilee privileges, namely the special faculties granted to confessors, as in the case of the indulgence “in forma iubilaei” granted by Gregory XVI (Constitution *Catholicae religionis*, 22 Feb. 1842) to invite the faithful to pray for the sad conditions of the Church in Spain, without in any way alluding to the said privileges. It becomes such, however, when the Pontiff promulgates it in a solemn manner with the aforesaid privileges, which are always indicated in the papal constitution.

There are also some extraordinary local Jubilees: in
S. Giacomo di Compostella, when 25 July falls on a Sunday (cf. Leo XIII, Ubi primum, 1 Nov. 1884); in the primatial church of Lyons, when the feast of St George falls on Good Friday and that of Corpus Christi coincides with the feast of St John the Baptist, titular of the primatial church, which occurs once every hundred years; the last, in 1943, was celebrated with great solemnity (cf. A. Sachet, Le grand jubilé séculaire de St-Jean de Lyon, 1451, 1546, 1666, 1734, Lyons 1886, anno giubilare); in the church of Notre-Dame du Puy when the Annunciation (25 March) coincides with Good Friday; the last took place in 1932 (cf. A. Boudon, Le grand pardon de N.-D. et l'église du Puy 992-1921, Le Puy 1921, anno giubilare). It was also believed in the late Middle Ages and later that a special plenary indulgence could be gained at Montmajour and Comminges when the feast of the Invention of the Cross fell on a Friday, and at Einsiedeln when the feast of the dedication of the church (14 Sept.) fell on a Sunday (cf. N. Paulus, Geschichte des Ablasses im Mittelalter, I, Paderborn 1922, p. 137; II, ibid. 1923, pp. 19, 327; id., Geschichte des Ablasses am Ausgange des Mittelalters, ibid. 1923, pp. 161, 188).

The following list of extraordinary Jubilees has been compiled from the Bullarium Romanum (the gaps in the various editions give rise to many uncertainties) and from the Acta of Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII and Pius X. It is understood that an extraordinary Jubilee is universal unless otherwise specified; for each Jubilee the papal constitution with the relevant date is given (outside Rome the Jubilee was proclaimed only when the bishop received the constitution, sometimes only after a long delay, so much so that certain Jubilees outside Rome were celebrated only in the following year) and the reason for its concession.

Pius IV, Spiritus Omnipotenti Dei, 15 Nov. 1560: prayers for the continuation of the Council of Trent (cf. St. Ehses, Concilium Tridentinum, VIII [V of the Acta], Freiburg in Br. 1919, pp. 100-102). It is to be noted that the indulgence is not described as “in forma Iubilaei,” yet Pius IV attached to it the jubilee privileges for the faculties of confessors.

Pius V, Cum gravissima, 9 Mar. 1566: union of the faithful and defence of Christendom against the Turks.

Sixtus V, Virium nostrarum, 25 May 1585: beginning of the pontificate.

Clement VIII, Quam semper cordi, 23 May 1596: for France: preservation of the Catholic faith in the kingdom. — Omne datum, 26 Feb. 1599: for the subjects of Philip III of Spain: just and faithful government of the kingdom.

PAUL V, Quod in omni, 28 June 1605: beginning of the pontificate. — Benedictus Deus, 28 Nov. 1608: for the Maronites: election of a zealous patriarch. — Universo gregii, 10 Oct. 1609: for the subjects of the Kingdom of Poland: divine aid for the needs of the kingdom. — Pastoris aeterni, 13 Oct. 1610: for Peru: conversion of the infidels. — Ecce tribulationes, 12 June 1617: needs of the Church. — Dominus ac Deus, 13 Jan. 1619: needs of the Church.