Francis rose from his wheelchair, knocked on the chapel door at Rebibbia prison, and entered, mirroring his Christmas Eve gesture at St. Peter’s Basilica’s Holy Door.

Pope Francis inaugurated his Holy Year at Rome’s main prison on Thursday, bringing a message of hope to inmates and involving them in the Catholic Church’s once-every-quarter century celebration that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome.

Jubilees, a Catholic Church tradition dating to 1300, are considered a time for reconciliation and renewal. But for many Romans, it is also a time of skyrocketing rents and a transformation of their beloved city.