According to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, more than 10 million pilgrims have already visited Rome since the start of the Jubilee Year opened by the late Pope Francis on December 24, 2024. The number is expected to keep rising. By the time the Holy Year concludes on January 6, 2026, Church officials anticipate over 30 million visitors will have walked through the Holy Doors of Rome’s basilicas.
These numbers are impressive — and deeply meaningful. Every 25 years, the Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee: a time of conversion, pilgrimage, reconciliation, and renewal. Rooted in the biblical tradition of the jubilee year (described in Leviticus 25), this sacred time offers spiritual rest and reorientation for the whole people of God.
Pope Francis placed this Jubilee under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” It comes at a time when war, division, and social fatigue weigh heavily on global consciences. The millions who are making their way to Rome are not tourists; they are seeking mercy, healing, and the courage to keep believing.
Pilgrimage is more than travel
To make a pilgrimage is to choose movement for the sake of grace. It is a journey with a destination — yes — but more importantly, it is a journey that opens the soul. Pilgrims leave behind routines and distractions. They enter the unknown, even discomfort, with the hope of encountering God.
Rome, in this Jubilee year, has become a global meeting point for these seekers. People come from every continent, crossing thresholds both physical and spiritual. They pass through the Holy Door — a symbol of Christ — and open themselves to receive the plenary indulgence granted during the Holy Year.
A Church in motion
Over the coming months, the Jubilee calendar remains full. The Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities takes place June 7–8. The Jubilee of Priests follows later in the month, from June 25–27. The Jubilee of Youth, scheduled from July 28 to August 3, could bring in over a million young people, according to a recent study by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
These events are visible signs of a Church alive, restless, and walking together. The late Pope Francis often reminded the faithful that “time is greater than space” — and the Jubilee is precisely that: a sacred time when grace overflows into every corner of life.
Why it still matters
In an age of disillusionment, the Jubilee is a public witness to the enduring relevance of mercy. It reminds believers and nonbelievers alike that there is still space for forgiveness, for beginning again, for walking toward the good. The Church doesn’t offer a utopia — but it does offer a path.
