The UK government has issued a travel warning for those planning to travel to Italy and especially to Rome over the next 12 months. The warning relates to the Jubilee 2025 Holy Year, which is expected to increase the number of people visiting the Italian capital to 35 million – 22 million more than came in 2023.
The UK Foreign Office warns of increased crime levels due to the high influx of tourists. It highlights risks such as stolen passports, drink spiking and theft from cars.
It also reminds British tourists that it is an “offence to enter or bathe in public fountains in many towns and cities, including Florence and Rome”.
The safety and security advice applies until January 2026, when the Jubilee draws to a close.
The travel advisory, however, also includes helpful information for participating in the Holy Year. The travel advice page provides links to the official Jubilee website and to the Jubilee app.
The Foreign Office also encourages would-be pilgrims to obtain a “free digital Pilgrim’s card,” explaining: “You will need [this card] to take part in the main Jubilee events and to organise a pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the four Papal Basilicas of Rome: St Peter’s in the Vatican, St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Paul Outside the Walls.”
The 2025 Jubilee Year was first announced by Pope Saint John Paul II at the close of the Great Jubilee in 2000.
The concept of a Jubilee Year first appeared in Western Christianity in 1300 under Pope Boniface VIII. At the urging of St Bridget of Sweden, Pope Clement VI proclaimed the second Jubilee in 1350. Since then, Jubilee years have been celebrated every 25 years, with the tradition continuing until the present day.
Jubilee years are closely associated with the remission of sins and with plenary indulgences – the remission of sins for oneself or a deceased loved one – that are granted to those who pass through the Holy Doors of the four major papal basilicas in Rome.
Outside Jubilee years, these doors remain sealed, with the Holy Door at St Peter’s being ceremonially opened on Christmas Eve before the start of the Jubilee. For the 2025 Jubilee, Pope Francis has added a fifth Holy Door in Rome’s Rebibbia prison.
In Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), the papal bull officially proclaiming the Holy Year, Pope Francis wrote: “I would myself like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence.”
The Vatican has stated that pilgrims unable to visit Rome can receive the Jubilee plenary indulgence by visiting a cathedral or other sacred site designated as a Jubilee location by the local Catholic hierarchy.
Dioceses are expected to organise events, including expanded opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Vatican’s official YouTube channel will also livestream the Jubilee events.
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Pope Francis waves during the Jubilee for Catechists in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Vatican City State, 25September 2016. (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images.)