What Is the Jubilee?
Every 25 years, Rome becomes the center of a spiritual celebration and tradition that has been celebrated for 750 years. It is the Jubilee, a holy year of mercy, renewal, and pilgrimage that draws believers from around the globe to reflect and receive blessings. Its roots can be found Leviticus 28 which states that the Jubilee was a holy year when slaves and prisoners were freed, ancestral property was returned to its rightful owners, and the land was given a chance to rest. It was a radical act of justice and a reminder that nothing belongs to any of us.
The celebration as we know it dates to 1300 AD when Pope Boniface VIII called for a holy year. Dante Alighieri, the famous Italian poet, writer, and philosopher most famously known for his Divine Comedy was likely among the pilgrims. He was very critical and skeptical of the pope and expressed such in Purgatorio where her argues that divine justice cannot be delivered by papal decree and that salvation requires personal effort and true repentance [1].
Since then (and despite Dante’s criticism), pilgrims have sought this spirit of forgiveness and renewal in Rome, walking through the Holy Doors and receiving their blessings. When I read about the details of this event, I knew I had to participate even though I am not a Catholic or even a Christian. Living in Rome and being enamored by its history allows me look at the history and spirituality through the eyes of an anthropologist and I couldn’t pass it up even though I, like Dante, perhaps even more so, am critical of The Church in the light of so many scandals and problems that I do not feel are very Christ like.
A Non-Catholic’s Journey
I do not disagree with everything The Church says. I do think that Jesus was a real person with a strong message that has been diluted and changed over the millennia. And it’s these parts I look to for connection when I visit a church or attend a service. Treating each other as we want to be treated ourselves is a universal concept, or at least it should be.
Participation in the Jubilee is for everyone and not limited to Catholics, obviously. I’m sharing my experience as a non-Catholic because I don’t see a lot of blog posts about what the actual experience is like. I can’t find anything beyond travel tips like “plan in advance” and “expect crowds” so I thought I would share my experience. If you are looking to participate as part of a church or religious group, this post will be only a start of the possibilities waiting for you!
Registering for the Jubilee
This year’s theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and I chose to attend during the events of the last weekend in January, “Jubilee of the World of Communications” intended for journalists, media professionals, IT experts, etc. To participate, you must register in advance on the website (https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html). I did this four months ahead of time, and the last day of registration for this specific event was Nov. 24, 2024. You must register to get an official badge to wear that gives you access to the events.
About two weeks before the event, I received an email with a link to a form I needed to fill out stating which of the events I planned on attending. There was a liturgy and mass at Basilica of St. John Lateran on Friday evening Jan. 24, the pilgrimage and meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall with Pope Francis on Sat. Jan. 25, then mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday morning Jan. 26. I felt like the pilgrimage and the mass would be the right amount for me so those were the only two events I selected. The meeting with pope is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq-J7TUmYes) as is the mass (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFN36N73k1s).
Not all the events have the same programming. You can check out the official calendar and see what is offered for the rest of the year here: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/calendario/calendario-generale.html.
Jubilee Weekend, Step-by-Step
My pass was available to be picked up starting Thur. Jan 23, the day before all the events were to start and I could have picked it up “until Saturday,” according to the website. The passes can be collected at the Jubilee Info Point at 7 Via della Conciliazione (#1 on the map, just down the street from St. Peter’s; https://maps.app.goo.gl/hGcPYLrS74HUcegc7). My pass came in a plastic cover with a lanyard. I also collected my ticket for the mass.
Saturday morning was the pilgrimage which began at 8 o’clock in the beautifully renovated Piazza Pia (#2 on the map). This was part of the massive €4 billion spent on construction and renovation projects for the Jubilee. They added some platforms with trees and a couple of reflecting pools on top of a new underpass for car traffic, and it’s another addition to the beautiful piazzas of Rome.
I arrived at Piazza Pia about 8:10 a.m. and pilgrims had already begun their journey to St. Peter’s. I do not know how the event is organized officially; I can only share my perspective and interpretation of the event. There were volunteers handing out program pamphlets in Italian, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Pilgrims would gather in front of a flag demonstrating one of the available languages and then a group who all spoke the same language would walk to St. Peter’s together. I missed the first English group and had to wait maybe 10 or 15 minutes until another group was gathered and we began out 1,000-meter walk.
My group of pilgrims wasn’t too large, maybe 30 people or so. A priest took a large wooden cross and led us down Via della Conciliazione and followed what was prescribed in the pamphlet taking turns reading bible verses outloud and reciting Our Fathers and Hail Marys. There was a brief pause at Parrocchia Santuario di Santa Maria in Traspontina (#3 on the map; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_in_Traspontina) for a moment of reflection on Mother Mary. After we ran through everything on the program, the other pilgrims sang a few hymns and said more Our Fathers and Hail Marys. I didn’t feel like anyone was pressured to read anything out loud. A couple times two people started reading at the same time and continued in unison which I thought was nice instead of having a few moments of “No, you go,” until someone took charge.
I was glad to be near the front of the group, I think it would have been difficult to hear what was going on if I was much further back.
We still had to go through security to get into St. Peter’s, just like at the airport and some of the other sites in the city. This means having to run any personal items through the X-rays and walking through the metal detector, and things like large umbrellas and pocketknives will be confiscated. You can find more details here: https://www.thevaticantickets.com/rules-regulations/
This is another place I was happy to be in the front of the group, the priest didn’t wait too long to reconvene the group after going through security and I’m very sure he wouldn’t have known who all was in the group anyway since he was at the first and looking forward the entire time with the group behind him. Had I been separated it wouldn’t have been the end of the world, everyone is going the same direction. I might have to wait at the altar if I wanted my blessing in English as I imagine the priest at the front was giving them in all the languages that were available that morning. My tip is to know what your leader looks like and is wearing so you can catch up with them if you need to.
This is also a good spot to talk about the dress code. Everyone, regardless of gender, should cover their shoulders and knees. Also, don’t wear any clothing or accessories that might offend The Church. Cover those profane tattoos, too!
After security we finally reached the Holy Doors (#4). I thought we would be walking through the middle door into the basilica, but it’s actually the door on the right, the Porta Sancta, that we walked through. This door is only open during the Jubilee. Then we walked down the right aisle of the St. Peter’s up to the front where we met the priest who gave us a blessing. And after that, the journey was over! I thanked the priest and the woman who was helping him and went into tourist mode exploring the basilica. The total time from my arrival to this point was about an hour and 15 minutes. If was attending the meeting with the pope, I would have made my way to Paul VI Hall (#5).
I hope that was helpful! If you want to know about my experience attending mass the next morning, go on to Part 2!
Lost Luggage and the Art of Traveling Light 
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