Pope's 'Jubilee of Youth' closes with huge Rome mass
ROME (AFP)Pope Leo XIV presided over a final mass in Rome for over one million young people on Sunday, the culmination of a youth pilgrimage that has drawn Catholics from across the world.The week-long event ending Sunday, a highlight of the Jubilee holy year, was an enormous undertaking for the Vatican, with a half a million young pilgrims in Rome for most of the week.On Saturday night, before an twilight vigil led by the pope, organisers had confirmed the attendance of 800,000 people in the vast, open-air space on Rome's eastern outskirts, and on Sunday the Vatican said that number had grown to one million people.Most of those attending slept on the ground in tents, in sleeping bags or or mats, awaiting Sunday's mass under sunny skies.To music from a choir, green-robed bishops began filling an enormous stage covered with a golden arch and a massive cross before Leo, who arrived by helicopter, began mass.The Vatican said 450 bishops and around 700 priests participated in the final event for the youth, who have filled Rome's streets since Monday.The festive atmosphere reached its peak Saturday ahead of an evening vigil presided over by Leo.The pontiff was greeted with deafening screams and applause after his arrival by helicopter Saturday as he toured the grounds in his popemobile, with many people running to catch a better glimpse of the new American pope.At over 500,000 square metres (125 acres), the grounds were the size of around 70 football fields.The youth pilgrimage came about three months after the start of Leo's papacy, and 25 years after former pope John Paul II organised the last such youth gathering in Rome.
The Church planned a series of events for the young pilgrims over the course of the week, including turning the Circus Maximus -- where chariot races were held in ancient Rome -- into an open-air confessional.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
More Americans are turning to Italy's ‘dolce vita' for memorable weddings
James Atkinson and Samantha Fortino toured a Tuscan vineyard and learned to make pasta and a Bolognese sauce alongside their family and friends in Florence. Atkinson discovered a penchant for chianti, while Fortino fell for Italy's hugo spritz — a cocktail that posed no risk of staining her wedding dress on July 24. Italy has hosted a number of star-studded weddings in the past decade, most recently Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez 's extravaganza in Venice. Away from the spotlight, tens of thousands of ordinary Americans have set their sights on the country for their special day in recent years. 'Weddings in America can be a little too grand and a little bit too big and it ends up not really being about the couple,' said Fortino, 28, a neonatal nurse from Skaneateles, New York. 'We both just really wanted something intimate and meaningful.' Over 15,000 foreign couples wed in Italy last year, up 64% from 2019, the year before the pandemic, according to market research from the Center of Tourist Studies of Florence. Growth was led by US couples, who account for almost one-third of that total. Italy was the top international destination for American couples after Mexico, according to Maryland-based wedding planning website The Knot. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez leave for their pre wedding reception, in Venice, Italy, on June 26, 2025. File/Associated Press For many Americans, Italy embodies the simple, beautiful romance of a bygone era. Weather is balmy and its varied landscapes, from the sea to the mountains, stunning. The food is familiar and crowd-pleasing. But perhaps the biggest driver of the recent uptick is ample opportunity for a range of outings, which together with the wedding event are alluring for those on a quest for unique, memorable moments — part of a consumer trend termed 'the experience economy.' 'In the United States, everything is just more expensive for one night and we wanted to make an experience, so we did two nights here,' said Atkinson, 31, who owns a concrete company. 'It just seemed like way more worth it to us to do that and make a trip out of it with our family, our loved ones.' One guest who had never visited Italy was ecstatic about the invite, and took advantage to tack on side trips, first to Venice and then with the wedding crew to Cinque Terre. Another, Gary Prochna, nearly didn't attend because of work piling up at his paving company. He eventually came around and was floored by the venue - a 15th-century villa with a sweeping view over Florence and its famous Duomo. George Clooney, flanked by his wife Amal Alamuddin, waves from a water-taxi after leaving the city hall in Venice, Italy, on Sept.29, 2014. File/Associated Press 'I got married in the United States and our venue was very nice. I thought — until this moment — we had the best wedding,' said Prochna, 68, adding that he now hopes his daughters will get hitched abroad. Marcy Blum, a prominent luxury event planner based in Manhattan, said almost 90% of the weddings she plans are in Italy. 'The reason Italy is so popular is because that's where your guests want to go,' she said. 'You send an invitation that you're getting married in Capri or Positano and everybody comes. Everybody. They want to come. Nobody cancels.' Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel and destination event service also based in Manhattan, said 60% of his company's events were outside the US before the pandemic. Today it's almost 90%, nearly all split evenly between Italy and France. The threat of tariffs under President Donald Trump has given destination weddings a boost. Ezon has moved six events from the US to Europe this year, because people were afraid tariffs on drinks would cause their bar bill to explode. The shift to destinations has benefited planners with networks across Italy and local vendors. According to Wedding Italy, the husband-and-wife team who put on the Atkinson wedding, American clients spend three times as much as Italians, due to more elaborate wedding decor and other events in their multi-day lineup. Tom Cruise (right) and Katie Holmes with their daughter Suri, who became engaged in June 2005, hold hands as they leave their hotel ahead of their wedding ceremony in Rome, Nov. 16, 2006. File/Associated Press Average spend on hometown weddings in the US was $32,000 last year, according to The Knot. By comparison, foreigners' weddings in Italy cost an average 61,500 euros ($70,600) and typically have dozens fewer guests, the Center of Tourist Studies of Florence's data showed. In the garden where the Atkinsons held their service, cypress trees swayed in the wind as the bride emerged from the chapel, beaming in her lace mermaid-silhouette gown. She walked down the aisle as speakers played the theme song to Star Wars. It was her sneaky trick to make the groom cry, and it worked like a charm. Before the exchange of rings, before the lovebirds threw their arms around one another, their officiant said: 'Traditionally I would ask: Is there any reason why this couple shouldn't be married? But for goodness' sake - we all flew to Italy and can't get our points back! So instead I'll ask: Who here approves of this union?' Cheers all around. Meanwhile, Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare (1,000-acre) field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm that will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of Vatican City and turn it into the world's first carbon-neutral state. Associated Press
Al Etihad
3 days ago
- Al Etihad
Pope's 'Jubilee of Youth' closes with huge Rome mass
3 Aug 2025 12:19 ROME (AFP)Pope Leo XIV presided over a final mass in Rome for over one million young people on Sunday, the culmination of a youth pilgrimage that has drawn Catholics from across the week-long event ending Sunday, a highlight of the Jubilee holy year, was an enormous undertaking for the Vatican, with a half a million young pilgrims in Rome for most of the Saturday night, before an twilight vigil led by the pope, organisers had confirmed the attendance of 800,000 people in the vast, open-air space on Rome's eastern outskirts, and on Sunday the Vatican said that number had grown to one million of those attending slept on the ground in tents, in sleeping bags or or mats, awaiting Sunday's mass under sunny music from a choir, green-robed bishops began filling an enormous stage covered with a golden arch and a massive cross before Leo, who arrived by helicopter, began Vatican said 450 bishops and around 700 priests participated in the final event for the youth, who have filled Rome's streets since festive atmosphere reached its peak Saturday ahead of an evening vigil presided over by pontiff was greeted with deafening screams and applause after his arrival by helicopter Saturday as he toured the grounds in his popemobile, with many people running to catch a better glimpse of the new American over 500,000 square metres (125 acres), the grounds were the size of around 70 football youth pilgrimage came about three months after the start of Leo's papacy, and 25 years after former pope John Paul II organised the last such youth gathering in Rome. The Church planned a series of events for the young pilgrims over the course of the week, including turning the Circus Maximus -- where chariot races were held in ancient Rome -- into an open-air confessional.
Al Etihad
5 days ago
- Al Etihad
Indonesia volcano belches 10-kilometre ash tower
1 Aug 2025 20:06 JAKARTA (AFP)An Indonesian volcano spewed a 10-kilometre molten plume of ash topped by lightning into the Friday night sky, weeks after another huge eruption triggered dozens of flight cancellations in Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-metre-high volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 8:48 pm (1248 GMT), the Indonesian Volcanology Agency said in a statement."The height of the eruption column was observed to be approximately 10,000 metres above the summit," the agency were no immediate reports of damage or eruption was triggered by a gas buildup in recent weeks, geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a also warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near and residents were told to avoid a six-kilometre radius around the shared by the country's geological agency showed volcanic lightning near the top of the ash month, the volcano spewed a colossal 18-kilometre tower of ash, scrapping 24 flights at Bali's international were no immediate reports of cancelled flights after Friday's which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman. Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire".
