VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV made a surprise appearance in a crowd of 120,000 young Catholics who gathered on Tuesday in Rome for the Vatican’s Jubilee of Youth — an event that takes place every 25 years.
The week-long event is taking place just over two months after Leo XIV became the head of the Catholic Church and the first American pope.
Since Monday, groups of pilgrims — chanting and draped in flags of their countries — have flooded the streets of Italy’s capital and the corners of the Vatican City.
The Vatican had last week said it expected some half a million people from more than 150 countries to take part, with this year’s events dedicated to faith and culture.
Some 120,000 people attended the opening mass at St. Peter’s Basilica Tuesday evening, according to the Vatican, where the Pope said he had a special welcome for people from regions affected by war, naming Ukraine and Palestine.
