More than 33 million pilgrims travelled to Rome during the 2025 Catholic Jubilee year, the Vatican said on Monday, January 5th.
The Jubilee drew faithful from 185 countries and concluded as the final pilgrims passed through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica. The door will be formally closed on Tuesday, January 6th by Pope Leo XIV, one year after it was opened by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in April. The Vatican noted that the last time a pope died during a Jubilee year was in 1700.
“The entire world came to Rome,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella told journalists, adding that pilgrims attended 35 major events throughout the year. These included a festival for young Catholics and the canonisation of the first so-called “internet saint.” The turnout, he said, showed the Catholic Church remains “a dynamic church.”
Despite torrential rain, thousands of pilgrims streamed through the door on the final day Monday, many pausing to cross themselves, and receiving a “plenary indulgence”, or forgiveness for confessed sins.
“It’s really a grace. And I feel great,” said Josie Aguirre, a 67-year-old pilgrim from the Philippines. Another pilgrim said:
It was emotional, the feeling was really great. The jubilee door is a way to renew people’s faith, it brings people together.
The Vatican said around 60% of pilgrims came from Europe, while 16% travelled from North America. Organised by the Church every 25 years, the Jubilee is a period of reflection and penance for the world’s over 1.4 billion Catholics.
