Overview

• Organizers adjusted turnout estimates from 500,000 to as many as 1 million young pilgrims for Saturday’s night vigil.
• The Vatican deployed over 4,300 volunteers, 1,000 police officers and large-scale logistics including water misting and confession tents to manage the crowds.
• Leo extended condolences and met with the companions of 18-year-old Egyptian pilgrim Pascale Rafic, whose death cast a somber note over the jubilee.
• The pope will host a live question-and-answer session with three youth delegates, offering his personal reflections instead of a formal homily.
• The vigil and morning Mass cap a scaled-down World Youth Day, emphasizing social justice, AI ethics and digital evangelization under his evolving pastoral style.