Pope Leo XIV closed 2025 with a prayer that Rome would be a welcoming city for foreigners and for people who are vulnerable, young and old, as he presided over New Year’s Eve vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The pontiff led the first Vespers of the feast and the traditional Te Deum, giving thanks for the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century Jubilee that drew millions of pilgrims to Rome. In his homily, Pope Leo XIV thanked the city and the volunteers who helped manage the crowds as pilgrims visited St Peter’s and passed through the Holy Door.
Call for a welcoming city
Recalling the appeal made by Pope Francis, who inaugurated the Holy Year on December 24, 2024, Pope Leo XIV said he hoped Rome would continue to grow as a place of hospitality.
“I would like it to be so again, and even more so after this time of grace,” he said, adding that Rome should be worthy of “children, lonely and fragile elderly people, families who struggle to get by, and men and women who have come from afar hoping for a dignified life”.
Among those attending the service were Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and other dignitaries.
A landmark year for the Church
Beyond the Jubilee, 2025 was a historic year for the Catholic Church due to the papal transition following Pope Francis’ death in April. Cardinals elected Pope Leo XIV in May, making him the first pope from the United States.
Vatican statistics released this week showed that around 3.2 million people participated in Vatican liturgies, papal audiences, Angelus prayers and Jubilee events during the year. Attendance was lower in the first quarter due to Pope Francis’ prolonged illness and hospitalisation, but rose sharply after the election of Pope Leo XIV.
As the year ended, the Pope’s message centred on dignity, inclusion and care for the most vulnerable, setting a pastoral tone for the year ahead.