Youth go wild at Pope’s surprise appearance to kick off Jubilee (Photos)

On Tuesday, July 29, the Jubilee for Young People opened with fervor and reverence during a large Mass in St. Peter's Square attended by some 120,000 Catholics from around the world. Pope Leo made a surprise appearance at the end of the Mass, causing a prolonged uproar. The Holy Father told them: "The world needs messages of hope, you are those messages" and together they chanted, "We want peace in the world."

“What a beautiful mess!” exclaimed an Italian priest with a big smile as he tried to make his way up Via della Conciliazione, the main road leading to St. Peter's Square, with the young people from his Sicilian diocese. From early in the morning, the avenue was buzzing with the sound of Catholic youth from all over the world.

They stormed the gelato shops, and the flavors popular with the young pilgrims disappeared one by one. Puerto Ricans danced and sang in the street, drawing a group of Senegalese and French scouts along with them. Everywhere, Latin American brass bands, especially Mexican ones, set the rhythm.

A group with flags from the Democratic Republic of Congo sing and wave, undoubtedly also mindful of their comrades martyred just hours ago.

Psalms are sung here and there in Polish, Arabic, and Tagalog, even as the Square's loudspeakers play the official Jubilee hymns on a loop.

While waiting to pass through security, two tall Bavarians wearing German soccer jerseys stand alongside little nuns from East Timor. The flags flying proudly above each group testify to the remarkable international dimension of the event.

Maxime, a 26-year-old Parisian, is very disappointed because the – overly long – pole he was using to wave his country's large blue, white, and red flag has been confiscated. A regular at major Catholic events, he came with a group of friends and is already bright red from a whole day spent under the scorching sun.

“I came to share this moment with hundreds of thousands of young people from all walks of life, to deepen my faith, especially by rediscovering Rome,” he explains. “It's really cool, it feels like World Youth Day."

Further away, a priest leads a large group of young people from Seoul, which will host the next World Youth Day in 2027.

“Soon, we too will welcome all these young people,” he says. Covered in sunscreen, wearing a baseball cap and thick sunglasses, he emphasizes the key role of young people in evangelization and says he is certain that the Pope's visit to his country will help many people discover Christ.

Mass will begin in an hour, but already, under the constant waves of young people, St. Peter's Square and then the Via della Conciliazione are filling up.

“¡Esta es, la juventud del Papa!” (“This is the youth of the Pope!”), shout the Spanish-speaking young people who have come to Rome in large numbers. The Pope himself is not there, as it is Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the head of the dicastery charged with organizing the Jubilee, who is presiding over Mass alongside hundreds of bishops.

“In the name of Pope Leo XIV, I welcome you!” the Italian said to the sea of people, who suddenly fell silent in prayer at the beginning of the Mass. ”Rome, with all that it represents, is in your hands!" the Italian archbishop assured them.

Most of the young people didn't seem to know him, and some — who had misread the program — did not hide their disappointment that it wasn't the Pope celebrating the Mass. “But we'll see Leone later, it doesn't matter,” a young Argentine woman said to her friend.

Archbishop Fisichella highlighted the presence of people who had made “great sacrifices” to come to Rome, especially those from war zones. “The Lord will not disappoint you. He is coming to meet you, and you must be vigilant to welcome his presence,” he encouraged, greeting specifically the Ukrainian and Palestinian pilgrims, to loud applause from the crowd.

Floating above the crowd was the latest flag to be created: that of a liberated Syria, with its three red stars. Anthony, a young Catholic from Damascus, explained why it was particularly important for him to be in Rome.

"It's a message of peace. We are meeting Catholics from all over the world, showing that we can do beautiful things together,“ he emphasizes, while Peruvians, proud of their first pope, raise their voices.

The Mass begins as the sun sets behind St. Peter's Basilica, offering a little shade to the young faithful, who are deeply absorbed in prayer.

In his homily, Archbishop Fisichella encouraged young people to live their faith in freedom and hope. He asked them to fight the “great violence” that affects the world, “not only in war zones.” Finally, he invited young people to Tor Vergata in southern Rome for the concluding events of the Jubilee, which will include Pope Leo XIV on Saturday and Sunday.

But the Pope had a surprise in store already.

At the end of Mass, he suddenly appeared in a popemobile. The jubilation of all the young Catholics, which had been contained throughout Mass, erupted in a deafening roar as he made his way through the crowd, driving up the entire Via della Conciliazione to greet those who had not been able to reach St. Peter's Square.

Then, taking the altar as night fell, the Pope spoke to them briefly, in English, Spanish, and Italian to bless the crowd.

“Jesus tells us that you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world,” he proclaimed, praising the enthusiasm of these young people. “The world needs messages of hope, you are those messages,” he told them.

He urged them to continue to shout, especially for peace in the world.

And the square responds to the Pope: "We want peace in the world."

Before leaving, he invited them to meet him on Saturday and Sunday on the esplanade of Tor Vergata.