Vatican officials revealed that a record 33.5 million pilgrims visited Rome in 2025 to celebrate the Jubilee year, passing through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica to revel in an event that takes place only once every 25 years. According to Premier Christian News:
Officials said the 3.7 billion euros ($4.32 billion) of state and European funds spent on overhauling tourist sites for the occasion had been worth the investment.
“The whole world has come to Rome,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s lead jubilee official, told a news conference. “The Jubilee has not been a losing investment but a driving force that has boosted … overall growth.”
Over the past two years, Rome undertook more than 3,200 construction projects—from building new overpasses and underpasses to restoring fountains and historic sites—to prepare the city for visitors.
The previous ordinary Jubilee was in 2000, which attracted around 25 million people. An extraordinary Jubilee is planned for 2033 to commemorate 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus.
We noted several controversies that took place at the Jubilee, including for the first time in history, a rainbow pride cross was officially processed into the heart of the Vatican after hundreds of LGBTQ Catholics attended mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, with the blessing of Pope Leo, who personally encouraged the vice president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Francesco Savino, to celebrate with them.
