How Should Protestants Talk to Their Roman Catholic Friends about Jubilee?
In Rome, where I live, conversations about Jubilee are inevitable. Scheduled for 2025, it is expected to draw 35 million Roman Catholic pilgrims under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” inspired by Romans 5:5: “Hope does not disappoint.” While Jubilee may not dominate conversations elsewhere, with over 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide and a universal longing for hope, Protestants should be prepared to engage thoughtfully in conversations with our Catholic friends and family about this event.
Understanding Jubilee
The year of Jubilee is something we find in the Bible. Outlined in Leviticus 25, Jubilee was a God-ordained “reset” for Israel every 50 years. It involved forgiving debts, restoring property, freeing slaves, and letting land rest. It reflected God’s justice, mercy and provision for his people.
In contrast, Rome’s Jubilee, established in the 14th century and held every 25 years, invites pilgrims to pursue spiritual renewal through earning indulgences—remissions of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven. Indulgences provide works-based grace. They are granted through acts prescribed by the Church, such as visiting Rome’s four major basilicas and entering the Holy Doors. Pilgrims who meet the conditions, including a contrite heart and prescribed prayers, may earn an indulgence for themselves or for a deceased person in purgatory. For a deeper dive into this process, Tim Challies’ article, How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025, is a helpful resource.
With this in mind, how might a Protestant talk to a Catholic about Jubilee?
Ask Your Catholic Friends What Jubilee Means to Them
In my context, most mention the influx of pilgrims and the impact it will have on local infrastructure. Perhaps your Catholic friends and family are excited for an opportunity to visit the Eternal City. Rome is indeed a beautiful and fascinating place to visit, and why not take the opportunity to do so for a Jubilee year. However, many Catholics express a sincere desire to draw near to God, seeking spiritual renewal, hope, or an opportunity to help loved ones they believe are suffering in purgatory. Therefore, Rome’s Jubilee offers them more than beautiful sites and delicious foods—it offers a way to satisfy the human longing for hope, restoration and renewal.
Affirm the Human Longing for Hope and Renewal
We all desire hope and renewal, especially in a world marked by conflict, division and brokenness. A quick scroll of the news today showcases our longing for justice and peace, while advertisements offer temporary escapes for finding happiness, satisfaction, peace, and rest. When talking with our Catholic friends about Jubilee we can affirm the longing for something that gives us hope. Everyone desires freedom from burdens, forgiveness of debts (both literal and spiritual), and a fresh start.
The universal longing for a world where justice and mercy reign is a part of being made in God’s image and created to enjoy a relationship with him, a relationship that was severed due to Adam’s (and our) sin. Therefore, we can empathize with those who participate in the Jubilee Year activities out of a desire to draw near to God and to seek peace and protection from the consequences of sin.
Affirm the Biblical Origins of the Jubilee Year and Christ’s Fulfillment of It
This is where we get to talk about what Jubilee means to us. The concept of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 magnifies God’s care for his people through restoration, release, and provisions. Yet history shows that national Israel failed to perfectly observe it, nor were they able experience its objectives in a lasting way. That’s because the biblical Jubilee pointed to its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Luke 4:18-19 records the words of Jesus at the start of his earthly ministry. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah Jesus declared,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
In citing these words, Jesus identified himself as the one who fulfills the ultimate Jubilee through his life, death, and resurrection—bringing true freedom from sin, release from spiritual bondage, and the eternal rest foreshadowed by Jubilee.
Gently Correct Misplaced Hope in Human Effort and Institutions
At this point, we want to gently explain that hope placed in anything but the finished work of Christ is not lasting hope. No ritual, pilgrimage, or human effort can grant the freedom Christ has already accomplished (Eph. 2:8-9). Both the Jubilee in Leviticus and the Roman Jubilee highlight the need for freedom and rest, but neither can accomplish it. The Roman Jubilee, while perhaps well-intentioned, shifts hope to human works and mediations rather than the finished work of Jesus, ultimately undermining the work and mediation of Christ.
We can affirm that religious traditions can be beautiful and inspire us to reflect on God’s hope. But we must be cautious against trusting human institutions or rituals that claim to mediate grace, doing for us what Jesus has already done once and for all (Heb. 10:10-14; Rom. 6:10). Instead, Christ offers forgiveness and freedom without conditions, ensuring that those who trust in him are fully reconciled to God (Rom. 8:1; Col. 2:13-14).
Offer the Gospel as the True and Sure Hope
Tell your friend that true hope lies not in human works but in trusting that God came to us in Christ (John 1:14). Jesus did what we could never do. He paid our debt and removed the punishment we deserved (2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; 1 Pet 2:24). The “hope that does not disappoint” of Romans 5:5 is then rooted in our justification through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone—not in rituals or institutional mediation. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7-9). His words assure us of lasting peace with God, empowering us to love both God and neighbor, and offering us rest and reconciliation that no pilgrimage or indulgence can provide.
Remember, millions of people who will journey to Rome this year for an indulgence will arrive with sincere hearts and burdened souls. They will pass through “holy doors” seeking hope and renewal. As Protestants, we have an opportunity to point them to the only door that leads to salvation: Jesus Christ. By God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, every day can be a Jubilee—a time of freedom, rest, and peace with God. That is a hope that does not and cannot disappoint.