Pope Francis declares 2025 a holy year

The jubilee year will begin on December 24 and end on January 6, 2026, Francis announced.

The Vatican did not mention preparations for the influx of pilgrims, but more than 30 million pilgrims from around the world are expected to visit Rome and the Vatican.

The announcement of the holy year has raised concerns about how Rome’s infrastructure, including the much-criticized transport system, will cope with the large influx of pilgrims.

In order to improve traffic in Rome, ambitious works have already begun on the roads around the Vatican.

Roman Catholic jubilee years – a tradition that began in 1300 – are held every 25 years.

Traditionally, pilgrims visit St. Peter’s Basilica and three other major basilicas in Rome.

The previous holy year was in 2000, when almost 25 million pilgrims visited Rome. In 2016, however, an extraordinary anniversary was announced.

Francis said hope would be the theme of the 2025 event and called on wealthy nations to acknowledge the gravity of many of their past decisions and commit to forgiving debts owed to nations that will never be able to repay them.

Mentioning the impact of climate change, Francis highlighted the “ecological debt” between rich and poor countries.

It was “related to commercial imbalances that affect the environment and the disproportionate use of natural resources by individual countries over a long period of time,” the head of the Catholic Church said.