33m Catholics head to Rome for jubilee celebrations

The 2025 jubilee year of Catholic celebrations drew over 33 million pilgrims to Rome, the Vatican said on Monday, as the last of the faithful passed through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica.

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Pope Leo XIV was to close the basilica’s ornate bronze doors in a ceremony yesterday, just over 12 months after they were opened by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in April.

"The entire world came to Rome. Pilgrims arrived from 185 countries" for 35 major events, including a festival for young Catholics and the canonisation of the first millennial saint, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

The numbers showed the centuries-old institution was still "a dynamic church", he said.

It will also be remembered as a rare two-pope jubilee. The last time a pope died during a “Holy Year” was in 1700.