CNA Staff, Aug 5, 2025 /
15:46 pm
Roughly 1 million young adults from around the world filled the streets of Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, which took place July 28 to Aug. 3, part of the yearlong Jubilee of Hope. Each day was filled with different opportunities and events for the young people to experience the richness of the Catholic faith.
Here are some of the best moments from the Jubilee of Youth:
Pope Leo XIV arrives by helicopter at Tor Vergata
On Aug. 2, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by the largest crowd he has addressed during his pontificate so far for the evening vigil at Tor Vergata, an outdoor venue 10 miles east of Rome. An estimated 1 million people were in attendance. The Holy Father arrived by helicopter and then drove through the grounds on the popemobile, waving to the cheering young people before the prayer service began.
Pope Leo XIV carries the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope
After the Holy Father from the popemobile greeted the young people in attendance, he carried the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope on foot from the crowd up to the 15,000-square-foot stage for prayers and Eucharistic adoration.
Despite the sweltering heat, the Holy Father carried the cross with energy — so much so that a video of Pope Leo walking briskly with the cross and the words “Life goals: Climbing the stairs like Pope Leo at age 69” went viral with over a million views.
Some of the comments on the post included: “The American Midwest grind on display,” “imagine having Pope Leo as a workout buddy,” “the stairmaster of holiness,” and “his personal trainer must be proud.”
Eucharistic adoration with Pope Leo XIV
The evening vigil concluded with Eucharistic adoration led by the Holy Father. Many were moved by the stillness and silence of all those in the presence of Christ.
Pope Leo also imparted on the faithful gathered the Eucharistic Benediction. At the conclusion of the evening, he advised the young people gathered who would be camping for the evening to “take it easy” and “rest a bit. We have a date tomorrow morning here for holy Mass.”
Bishop Robert Barron speaks at U.S. National Pilgrim Gathering
U.S. Bishop Robert Barron urged young people to follow God and reject worldly goods, calling on youth to “find their mission” and pursue the Lord “into the depths” during the keynote address at the Jubilee of Youth’s National U.S. Pilgrim Gathering on July 30.
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He also gave those in attendance a powerful reminder of how the Catholic Church has outlasted the test of time.
“Where are the mighty signs of Roman power? Think of the Colosseum. Think of the Forum. Think of the Palatine Hill. Think of the Circus Maximus. What are they? They’re ruins,” he said.
“But where’s the great empire that was announced by Peter the Apostle?” he continued. “It’s all over the world, on every continent. It’s alive. And where is the successor of Peter who was put to death in the Circus of Nero and buried away on the Vatican Hill? Where’s his successor?”
“I saw him last night, didn’t you? Riding around St. Peter’s Square,” the bishop said to thunderous applause.
Over 1,000 Korean Catholics gather for Jubilee of Youth
As the Catholic Church in South Korea prepares to host World Youth Day — scheduled for Aug. 3–8, 2027 — over 1,000 Korean Catholics from the Archdiocese of Seoul were in attendance at the Jubilee of Youth. On Thursday, July 31, the delegation participated in a Mass at the Basilica di San Crisogono presided by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung.
Following Mass there were celebrations, socializing, and ice cream outside the church. The cardinal bought a whole ice cream truck for the Korean youth and volunteers to freshen up in the hot Roman sun.
Open-air confession at Circus Maximus
On Friday, Aug. 1, the Circus Maximus — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — was transformed into an open-air confessional for thousands of young pilgrims to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Two hundred confessionals were set up from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rome time.
Rainbow appears in the sky when Pope Leo arrives at Tor Vergata
While more than a million young people waited for Pope Leo to arrive for the prayer vigil on Aug. 2, an unexpected sign appeared in the sky. Despite there not being a single drop of rain, a rainbow appeared in the sky above the young people gathered as the Holy Father was arriving.
Father Francisco Javier Bronchalo, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain, wrote in an Instagram post of a video he took showing the rainbow in the sky: “It’s not raining, the sun is shining, but there was a rainbow when the pope arrived … Then it disappeared. Impressive, God does not break his covenant. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Pope Leo’s surprise popemobile ride after welcome Mass
Pope Leo XIV thrilled the young crowds with a surprise ride on the popemobile after the welcome Mass of the Jubilee of Youth. He went beyond St. Peter’s Square and greeted the pilgrims by continuing down Via della Conciliazione, a street that connects St. Peter’s Square to the Castel Sant’Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River.
Closing Mass with Pope Leo
The Jubilee of Youth concluded on Aug. 3 with a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo on the 237-acre grounds of Tor Vergata, where more than a million young pilgrims had spent the night following a prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration.
In his homily, Pope Leo invited the pilgrims to open their hearts to God and venture with him “towards eternity.”
Evoking St. John Paul II, the founder of World Youth Days, he proclaimed: “Jesus is our hope.”
“It is he, as St. John Paul II said, ‘who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives … to commit … to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal,’” Leo said.
Remembering Jubilee 2000 at Tor Vergata 25 years later
In 2000, Pope John Paul II celebrated World Youth Day at Tor Vergata with over 2 million young people. Despite being physically weak at the time, the beloved Polish pope made a connection with those in attendance. Twenty-five years later, it was Pope Leo who made a connection with the new generation of young Catholics. The similarities between the two events were unmistakable, and many of those who were in attendance in 2000 now watched along as their children attended the Jubilee of Youth.
On an Instagram post made by CNA, one user commented: “I was at Tor Vergata in 2000. Now my son is at the Jubilee of Youth. The Church is alive.”
Another wrote: “Attended WYD in 2000. Life-changing. Emmanuel — the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
Francesca is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency. She received her degree in Communications with an emphasis in Digital Media from the University of Colorado – Denver. She is also in charge of the social media for Catholic News Agency.
