Pope's 'Jubilee of Youth' ends with mass for 1m pilgrims

Italian broadcaster Rai dubs the gathering as a Catholic 'Woodstock'

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Pope Leo XIV presided over a final mass in Rome for over one million young people yesterday, the culmination of a pilgrimage that has drawn Catholics from across the world.

"Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less," Pope Leo told the crowd.

The weeklong "Jubilee of Youth" — a highlight of the Jubilee holy year — was an enormous undertaking for the Vatican, with a half a million young pilgrims in Rome for most of the week.

Stunned by the crowds

On Saturday night, before a twilight vigil led by the pope, organisers said there were 800,000 people in the vast, open-air space on Rome's eastern outskirts, and yesterday, the Vatican said that the number had grown to one million.