Jubilee 2016: what you need to know when traveling to Rome

As most of you may know, Pope Francis announced an extraordinary Holy Year (ten years early), 15 years after the Great Jubilee of 2000 wanted by John Paul II.

The Jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on December 8, 2015, and will end on November 20, 2016.

Let’s see what this Holy Year means for your upcoming visit to Italy.

Inside Vatican City (and Rome of course) you can expect to see big crowds – especially on important dates and events that you can check below. We suggest booking hotels in advance as it is going to be a very busy year, with a lot of pilgrims visiting Rome. Every year ordinary visitors can book tickets to a papal audience without any particular problems but during the Jubilee Year it is going to be quite full and hard to get those tickets so..plan in advance!

2015 JUBILEE EVENTS

December 8: Pope Francis opens the holy door at St. Peter’s Basilica after a 09:30 Mass
December 13: The holy doors of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls are opened, as are the holy doors of cathedrals around the world
December 27: “Jubilee for the Family” in St. Peter’s Square

2016 JUBILEE EVENTS

January 1: The holy door of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is opened
January 30: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
February 13: Jubilee for Padre Pio prayer groups, St. Peter’s Square
February 20: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
March 4: Penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, “24 Hours for the Lord”
April 2: Pope Francis leads a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square
April 3: Pope Francis says Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday
April 9: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
April 23-25: Jubilee for teenagers, ages 13-16, who are confirmed; confessions at select Jubilee churches, youth rally in Rome’s Olympic Stadium on evening of 23rd, Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on the 24th
April 30: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
May 5: Pope Francis leads “Vigil to Dry Tears,” St. Peter’s Basilica
May 14: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
June 10: Jubilee for the ill and disabled and their caretakers/helpers in St. Peter’s Square
June 18: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
June 30: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
July 26: Jubilee for young people, and World Youth Day (held in Poland in 2016)
September 4: Jubilee for volunteers
September 10: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
October 1: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
October 22: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
November 1: Pope Francis says Mass for the “faithful departed,” Cimitero Flaminio
November 6: Jubilee for prisoners (there will be some prisoners at St. Peter’s Basilica for this)
November 12: Some special Jubilee papal audiences, St. Peter’s Square
November 13: The holy doors outside St. Peter’s Basilica are closed, as are the holy doors of Rome’s papal basilicas and cathedrals around the world
November 20: The holy door in St. Peter’s Basilica is closed

So pick your dates and if you are planning to visit Rome (and Italy), make sure you book in advance to have the best experience possible! So email or call us to get your customized quote!

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