Vatican claims Holy Year success with 33 million pilgrims

The Vatican on Monday gave a final accounting of its 2025 Holy Year, saying more than 33 million pilgrims had participated and that the only real dispute with the city of Rome concerned the style of fountains built for the event’s main public works project. Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday will officially close out the Holy Year and shut the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica, capping a rare Jubilee that was opened by one pope and closed by another. For the Vatican, a Holy Year is a centuries-old tradition of the faithful making pilgrimages to Rome every 25 years to visit the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and receive indulgences for the forgiveness of their sins.  For Rome, it’s a chance to take advantage of some 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in public funds to carry out long-delayed projects to lift the city out of years of neglect.