A million young people take part in the great Jubilee celebration of faith which Rome will never forget

Over a million young people from 146 countries around the world took Rome to their hearts for a week and made it the capital of youthful faith. For seven days, the streets of the city were filled with joyful singing, flags waving, smiles, and emotion in young people’s eyes. Hundreds of dioceses, parishes, youth groups, associations, movements, and communities from around the world were present. The young people had a great time, but above all, they had the opportunity to experience the Jubilee, with confessions at the Circus Maximus, catechesis throughout the city, moments of prayer, Masses, and the Holy Year pilgrimages to the Holy Doors.

A great deal of work was done to welcome the groups, in collaboration with the Diocese of Rome, with over 370 host parishes, 400 schools, 40 external sites including Civil Protection Centers, municipal sports halls and gyms, and families who made themselves available to welcome pilgrims. Numerous parishes were twinned, and volunteers, both young and old, offered their services freely to prepare the welcome facilities for the groups.

120,000 attended the Welcome Mass on Tuesday, July 29, in St. Peter's Square, presided over by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization. At the end of the Mass, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, paid a surprise visit to the young people present. "We hope that all of you will always be signs of hope in the world!" he said in a greeting in front of the basilica, asking everyone to pray for peace and to be builders of peace in their homelands. The Jubilee was also attended by many groups of young people from countries suffering periods of conflict, from Ukraine to the Holy Land, from Syria to Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, and South Sudan.

On Wednesday, July 30th and Thursday, July 31st, pilgrims had the opportunity to participate in the various ‘Dialogues with the City’ - over 70 events organized by associations and movements, held in squares, parishes, and theaters in the center and suburbs of Rome. The initiatives varied, from moments of adoration and prayer, to thematic reflections, to festive and musical events.

Friday was entirely dedicated to the sacrament of Reconciliation in the extraordinary setting of the Circus Maximus. A river of young people, over 30,000 in eight hours, lined up to go to Confession, with 1,000 priests available for shifts throughout the day, hearing confessions in ten different languages.

Saturday and Sunday saw the gathering of all the pilgrims at Tor Vergata. One million young people gathered on the esplanade, 25 years after the last Jubilee in 2000, which had seen Pope John Paul II address young people in the same place at the beginning of the new millennium.

The young people spent two amazing days with Pope Leo XIV, first with the Vigil on Saturday evening and then with Mass on Sunday, August 3rd. At the conclusion of the Mass in which over 7,000 priests, 400 bishops, and 25 cardinals concelebrated, and where over 1,000 people, including extraordinary ministers and acolytes, distributed Communion, the Pope invited all those present to gather again in Seoul, South Korea, from August 3 to 8, 2027, for the next World Youth Day.

The Jubilee continues, full of enthusiasm, carrying in its hearts the beauty of Tor Vergata, a celebration which Rome will not easily forget.