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yesterday

Rome's Jubilee Draws Record 33.5 Million Pilgrims as Two-Pope Holy Year Ends

Vatican officials describe the figure as an estimate that could include double counting, based on registrations, volunteer tallies, CCTV.

People attend Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, December 24, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Cardinal Baldo Reina, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran, closes a Holy Door, as part of the end of the Catholic Jubilee Year, in Rome, Italy December 27, 2025. Riccardo Antimiani/Pool via REUTERS
Cardinal Baldo Reina, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran, closes a Holy Door, as part of the end of the Catholic Jubilee Year, in Rome, Italy December 27, 2025. Riccardo Antimiani/Pool via REUTERS
Cardinal Baldo Reina, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran, closes a Holy Door, as part of the end of the Catholic Jubilee Year, in Rome, Italy December 27, 2025. Riccardo Antimiani/Pool via REUTERS

Overview

  • Officials reported 33,475,369 participants for 2025, surpassing the 25 million recorded in 2000.
  • Pope Leo XIV will seal St. Peter’s Holy Door on Tuesday to close a Jubilee opened by Pope Francis, a two-pontiff sequence last seen in 1700.
  • Italy and EU funding of roughly €3.7–4 billion supported about 3,200 projects, including a new Vatican-area underpass and the Piazza Pia pedestrian redesign, with the mayor citing 110 of 117 priority works completed.
  • Pilgrims came from roughly 185 countries, led by Italy, the United States and Spain, with participation rising after Francis’ death and Leo’s election.
  • Church and city leaders hailed economic gains for tourism while acknowledging ongoing works and resident frustrations over construction and rental-market shifts.