What is the Catholic Jubilee?

At the end of the book of Leviticus, God instructed Israel to observe a “Year of Jubilee” (Leviticus 25:13). Every 50 years—the end of seven cycles of seven years—the nation was to take dramatic steps. The biblical year of Jubilee focused mainly on the cancellation of debts. Simple debts were to be forgiven. Land taken to pay debt was to be returned to the family to whom it originally belonged. Debt-slaves were to be freed. There is no clear evidence that Israel ever obeyed the Jubilee laws.

Roman Catholicism takes the concept of a “Jubilee” year and uses it for their own purposes every twenty-five years, plus on certain special occasions. The observance begins and ends with a liturgical holiday and features pilgrimages and ceremonies purported to remit sin. The Catholic observance of Jubilee is associated with their teachings of the “treasury of merit” and indulgences. The Roman Catholic version of the year of Jubilee is unbiblical.

According to Catholicism, non-mortal sins can be forgiven through a specified process. Once forgiven, such sins no longer result in an eternity in hell, but they still require some form of punishment. That punishment-debt must be paid off, after death, in purgatory or, in this life, by the performance of works of righteousness. An indulgence is a waiver removing the non-eternal punishment for a sin or sins. The Roman Catholic Church teaches it has the authority to spend some of the surplus “satisfactions” accomplished by Jesus and the saints kept in a “treasury of merit.” The stockpiled grace earned by Jesus and the saints can absolve the guilt of non-mortal sins, according to Catholic teaching.

The Catholic version of a Jubilee year began in the fourteenth century with a decree from Pope Boniface VIII. The money raised in this first call for pilgrimage to Rome added fuel to criticisms that the church was selling spirituality.

The Roman Catholic Church has proclaimed 2025 as a year of Jubilee, using “Pilgrims of Hope” as a theme. This is meant to be a time to emphasize forgiveness and reconciliation. As in any Jubilee year, the church offers special opportunities for Catholics to reduce their punishment-debt by obtaining indulgences. These can be acquired in a variety of ways. According to the official decree related to the 2025 Jubilee, indulgences can be obtained by those who complete one or more of these activities:

These acts must be undertaken in a spirit of contrition by a professing Catholic who has fully detached himself from the sin being remitted. A suitable authority of the church must approve the conferring of the indulgence. In 2025, indulgences can also be earned on behalf of individuals who have died, as the church will give “a second plenary [complete] indulgence each day for the poor souls in purgatory by carrying out an act of charity. The usual conditions apply, including receiving holy Communion in the context of Mass a second time that day” (https://catholicreview.org/what-is-a-jubilee/, accessed 3/18/25).

Catholicism applies the biblical concept of Jubilee to ideas that are entirely foreign to the Bible. Of course, designating a year to emphasize prayer, conflict resolution, charity, and so forth does not contradict biblical ideals. However, the idea that any human effort—no matter how noble—could pay down our sin debt to God is false, as is the teaching of a “treasury of merit.” The implication is that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough to confer complete righteousness on those who trust in Him. Equally unbiblical is the idea that traveling somewhere or performing good deeds gives church officials the right to alter God’s response to sin.

Some themes associated with the Catholic Jubilee are admirable. But other aspects emphasize a tragically false system leading people away from the truth of the gospel.