An estimated 120,000 young people packed St. Peter’s Square and surrounding Vatican areas for the welcome Mass launching the Youth Jubilee, exceeding all initial expectations. Pope Leo XIV made an unscheduled appearance to greet the massive crowd, embarking on a lengthy tour in the popemobile that extended to Via della Conciliazione. Thousands were unable to enter the square itself due to the unprecedented turnout. Addressing the youth at the conclusion of the Mass, presided over by Monsignor Rino Fisichella, the Pope declared, “You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. The world needs a message of hope, and you are that sign of hope in the world.” Cardinal Joseph Prevost, speaking to the energized crowd in Italian, English, and Spanish, urged, “You can give light to the city of Rome, to Italy, and to the entire world.” He rallied them with cries of “Our cry must be for peace in the world! We want peace in the world! We pray for peace and we are witnesses of peace and reconciliation,” concluding, “See you later! We’ll meet at Tor Vergata. Have a good week!”
The first major event of the Youth Jubilee also thrust the issue of war-torn regions into sharp focus. During the Offertory, two young Palestinians displayed their kefiah – a cultural and political symbol – on the altar, while Palestinian flags waved along Via della Conciliazione. Young people from around the world erupted in prolonged applause as images of the Palestinian youths appeared on large screens.
The overwhelming attendance at this opening celebration suggests the week could meet initial projections of one million participants. Rome Police Chief Roberto Massucci stated, “Everything is going well. The estimates from the Holy See are confirmed, and our sense is that there will be massive participation.”
Earlier, Pope Leo met with social media influencers and a group of French catechumens preparing for baptism. His discussions touched on followers, fake news, sex, and drugs, but centered on the urgent need to build networks and bridges in a world desperate for peace and authentic relationships. The Pontiff thus began engaging with the thousands of young pilgrims who have peacefully converged on Rome from across the globe. Undeterred by travel hardships and the Roman heat, they sang, prayed, laughed, and waved flags, including many from conflict zones like Ukraine and Palestine.
Peace emerged as a defining theme of this Jubilee, held during turbulent global times. “How much we need peace in this time of ours torn apart by enmity and wars,” the Pope declared from St. Peter’s steps at day’s end. “This is the mission of the Church: to announce peace to the world… and it is the mission the Church also entrusts to you,” he told the influencers, the first wave of under-30s flooding the city.
Pope Leo also addressed challenges directly impacting younger generations, from social media and drugs to sex and the isolating effects of indifference. Cardinal Prevost urged attendees to “renounce a culture of death so widespread in our society,” describing its manifestations as “indifference, contempt for others, drugs, the pursuit of an easy life, a sexuality that becomes entertainment and objectification of the human person, and injustice.”