Closing weekend of the Jubilee of Youth set to be the biggest event in the Catholic Jubilee year

ROME - With an expected estimation of over 32 million pilgrims to pass through the Vatican, the Catholic Jubilee 2025 is no doubt the biggest event in the Eternal City this year. Considering the numbers have already hit 17 million, there’s no doubt the projections will be comfortably reached by the closing ceremony on Jan 6, 2026.

  This week marks the celebration of one of the most anticipated events of the year – the Jubilee of Youth, with an estimated 500,000 Catholic youths alone, from over 140 countries to Rome.

  The week officially began with a Welcome Mass presided over by Archbishop Rino Fisichella in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday, where approximately 120,000 pilgrims participated with visible fervour. In what is surely the surprise of their lives, Pope Leo XIV made an unscheduled appearance in the popemobile, greeting crowds in English, Italian, and Spanish, echoing his messaged that the youth of today are the “beacons of hope and peace”.

  More than 70 ‘Dialogues with the City’ took place in the following three days, including art, music, and culture into the already spectacular celebrations. Friday was bringing thousands to Circus Maximus for the Penitential day, where over a thousand priests are to hear confessions in multiple languages.

  This weekend was set to bring the Jubilee of Youth to an astounding close, in the Tor Vergata area of Rome, with the Prayer Vigil on Saturday, with the pontiff himself. The following morning will dawn on the Holy Mass presided over by Pope Leo, who reminded pilgrims that they are “the salt of the earth. [They] are the light of the world.” These two days will encourage and foster a sense of friendship, fraternity and faith among the young pilgrims. The estimated number for the Vigil is currently set at about 1 million attendees, which will no doubt increase on Sunday.

  And it seems that the city is more than open to helping continue the joyful atmosphere, with more than 370 parishes, 400 schools/gyms, and the Fiera di Roma exhibition centre provided lodging: over 20,000 beds collectively, plus host families across Lazio.

  Other countries, even, have chipped in to ensure the utmost security and supervision: 4,000+ personnel including police, firefighters, and civil protection volunteers, plus international support from Spain, France, and Poland have been employed for the week.

  In total, over 4,300 Jubilee stewards, 3,000 civil‑protection volunteers, and 500 Vatican volunteers helped maintain order and assist pilgrims.

  Of course, such numbers of tourists are rare, even for Rome, whose streets, churches, and public transport system have been simply inundated by pilgrims. Though creating terrible queues and a city-wide game of Sardines, the occasional snippets of singing and happy faces one sees from a café window have brought another level of appreciation to the warm, golden hour of Italian living.