Since Pope Francis marked the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee Year, 1.3 million people have passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, according to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect for the New Evangelization section of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Fisichella made the announcement at a Feb. 7 press conference for the Jubilee of the Armed Forces. The archbishop pointed out, however, that the numbers of pilgrims “are not a criterion of validity for the success of the jubilee. What counts is what is in the hearts of people.”
Holy Doors are usually only designated in the four papal basilicas in Rome — St. Peter’s in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. But this year, Pope Franics also opened another location at Rebibbia prison in Rome.
Besides the Holy Doors, other factors have contributed to the high number of people visiting Rome and other parts of Italy to take part in this year’s celebration.
“The jubilee is one of the major reasons we’re seeing the increased crowds. But also recent surveys show that Italy in general remains among the most popular travel destinations in the world,” Teresa Tomeo, veteran anchor of the EWTN Radio show “Catholic Connection,” Italy travel expert, author of the new book “Italy’s Shrines and Wonders,” and founder of T’s Italy, told CNA.
“A survey found that travelers want more than just a Roman or Italian holiday. They’re looking for ‘transformative’ travel,” Tomeo said. “What better place than Italy given all of the incredible and important religious sites, not to mention the natural beauty, for change or transformation to occur?”
Tomeo, who has led multiple Italian tours and visited the country on more than 60 occasions, said these pilgrimages have the power to strengthen a traveler’s faith.
“On our last pilgrimage in October of 2024, we had three of our pilgrims privately tell us that they were so moved or ‘transformed’ by what they experienced in Italy that they were coming back into the Church,” she said.
Since the jubilee has begun with such large crowds, locals and travelers should expect the high volume to continue.
“Easter time and the summer months are always the busiest times of year in Italy and especially Rome,” Tomeo said. “I don’t think it will be any different this year. The canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati fall within those time periods and those special events are expected to draw even larger crowds.”
Tomeo encouraged visitors to fully immerse themselves in their jubilee travels.
“Turin is where Blessed Frassati is from and is buried and it has so much to offer pilgrims in terms of other saints,” she said. “The church, St. John the Baptist, which houses his tomb, is also home to the chapel of the Shroud of Turin. Although the shroud is not available for viewing and veneration during the jubilee year, the church is breathtaking and Turino is home to another popular saint — St. John Bosco.”
“And then of course the medieval and unspoiled town of Assisi and the tomb of Carlo Acutis is a place that deserves more than just a day trip from Rome. Not to mention the surrounding area of Assisi in Umbria and other nearby saints such as St. Rita of Cascia, St. Clare of the Cross in Montefalco, and St. Angela of Foligno,” Tomeo said.
The jubilee will continue until Jan. 6, 2026, and it is anticipated that more than 30 million pilgrims will make the religious journey to Rome during the holy year.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
