Jubilee of Youth

On 20 August 2000 Saint Pope John Paul concluded the celebration of World Youth Day with an open-air Mass at Tor Vergata in the south-eastern suburbs of Rome, attended by two million young people – the largest single gathering of the Jubilee Year. The 2025 Jubilee of Young People, which begins on Monday 28 July, will also conclude with Mass at Tor Vergata, celebrated by Pope Leo XIV, and is likely to be the biggest Jubilee event this year.  

In 2000, the Pope encouraged young people to be generous in bearing witness to Christ:

“Our society has an immense need for that witness. You will bring the message of Christ to the new millennium”.

Of course, today's world is, in many respects, very different to that of twenty-five years ago, and this is reflected in the first two days of the Jubilee event which are devoted to the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. The focus is on all those who work in the digital environment, sharing the message of the Gospel on social networks, blogs, channels and apps, and the event includes a ‘Missionary Rally: Seekers of Hope', playing in and roaming the streets of Rome to share hope with creativity, faith and joy through social media.  

The Jubilee of Youth continues from Wednesday 30 July – Sunday 3 August with a variety of events around Rome, including a Day of Reconciliation at the Circus Maximus with the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a Vigil of Prayer at Tor Vergata on Saturday 2 August before the final Mass on Sunday morning.

In this Jubilee year we are all pilgrims of hope, united by the words of Pope Leo XIV addressed to young people gathered in Chicago to celebrate his election:

“To, once again, the young people who are gathered here, I'd like to say that you are the promise of hope for so many of us. The world looks to you as you look around yourselves and say: we need you, we want you to come together to share with us in this common mission, as Church and in society, of announcing a message of true hope and of promoting peace, promoting harmony, among all peoples In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Christ, who is our hope, indeed calls all of us to come together, that we might be that true living example: the light of hope in the world today”.

The Programme

In preparation for and to coincide with the Jubilee event in Rome, a series of reflections and questions will be posted from 28 July – 4 August 2025 to help us participate with the pilgrims of hope gathered in Rome.

Join us as pilgrims of hope for this major Jubilee event of 2025.