Over 33 Million Pilgrims Visited Rome During Jubilee Year

Vatican, Jan 7, 2025: Nearly 33.5 million pilgrims from 185 countries travelled to Rome during the Jubilee Year, according to figures presented by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Holy See’s official coordinator for the Jubilee. He released the data at a Vatican press conference on January 5, offering a comprehensive review of the past year.

“The whole world came to Rome” during the Holy Year, Archbishop Fisichella said, noting that the final numbers surpassed earlier projections by Roma Tre University, which had estimated around 31 million pilgrims.

Representatives of local civil authorities who worked closely with the Church also attended the briefing. Their cooperation, commonly described as the “Jubilee method,” enabled the smooth organisation of events and the implementation of required infrastructure throughout the year.

Europe accounted for the majority of pilgrims, with 62% arriving from the continent, and Italy recording the highest participation. North America followed with 17%. After Italy, the largest groups came from the United States, Spain, Brazil, and Poland.

A Jubilee Focused on Spiritual Renewal

Beyond attendance figures and the 35 major events, Church officials stressed that the Jubilee’s deeper meaning lay in its spiritual impact. “The spiritual dimension at the base of the Jubilee made it possible to see a people on the move, with a great desire for prayer and conversion,” Archbishop Fisichella said.

He added that participation at Papal Basilicas and other prayer sites, including the Holy Stairs, reached unprecedented levels. “Confessions increased, and the Jubilee celebration of complete forgiveness, the indulgence, has reached everyone,” he said.

Thousands of Volunteers at the Heart of the Jubilee

Highlighting the human effort behind the celebrations, Archbishop Fisichella pointed to the service of 7,000 volunteers. He noted that 5,000 served throughout the year, while an additional 2,000 members of the Order of Malta supported first-aid services at the four Papal Basilicas, calling their contribution especially significant “in a time of easy individualism.”

Healthcare and Security Contributions

Explaining the broader civic coordination, Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region, said the “Jubilee Method” fostered calm cooperation rather than competition. “Emergency medical services carried out 580,000 interventions, 40,000 more than the previous year,” he said, adding that emergency room visits rose to 1.6 million—100,000 more than in 2024.

Concluding the briefing, Rome’s Prefect Lamberto Giannini outlined the approach taken by security forces. “We needed security and serenity, so we sought to convey security not by militarizing, but by preventing problems,” he said. Recalling the Jubilee of Youth, he added, “I was struck by the confessionals set up at the Circus Maximus. It was something unique that will remain in everyone’s memory.”

Courtesy: Vatican News