Pope Pius XII Closing the Jubilee of 1950

Jubilee years traditionally begin with the Pope opening the Holy Door of St Peter’s basilica on Christmas eve, and end with him closing it exactly one year later. However, there have often been minor changes and adjustments to such customs; one such change was made when St John Paul II decided to extend the Great Jubilee of 2000 by twelve days, to end on Epiphany of 2001. The current jubilee will follow this same pattern, and end when Pope Leo closes the door on Epiphany of the new year, the day before the extraordinary consistory begins.

Here is a report from the always-interesting archive of the old newsreel company British Pathé, which shows Pope Pius XII closing the door exactly seventy-five years ago today, on Christmas eve of 1950.