The Jubilee ceremony begins with Pope Francis opening the Holy Door at St Peter's Basilica. The ceremony includes prayers in Latin and Italian, symbolising forgiveness, as the Pope crosses the threshold to start the Holy Year.

The pope opened the Jubilee Holy Doors praying that the Holy Spirit would soften hearts so that "enemies may speak to each other again."

The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II had done so in the Year 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 for his 2016 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.