Catholic jubilee: What is it and should you still travel to Italy this year?

Published

2 months ago

April 7, 2025

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The King and Queen are set to begin a state visit to Italy, a trip that coincides with the Catholic jubilee year, an event that only happens every 25 years.

The four-day visit will see Charles and Camilla attend a series of public and diplomatic events in the capital, Rome, and the city of Ravenna.

This year, Rome expects to welcome three times its normal number of visitors – between 30 and 32 million, compared to an average of 10 million – as Catholics travel to the city for the jubilee, which marks a time of pilgrimage, reflection, and spiritual renewal.

The jubilee, also known as the holy year, officially began on 24 December 2024 and will run until 6 January 2026.

With major events throughout the year, Rome will be particularly busy – so much so that the UK Foreign Office has updated its advice for tourists planning to travel there.

Here is everything you need to know.

What is the Catholic jubilee?

A jubilee year is a time for Catholics to “re-establish a proper relationship with God, one another and with all of creation”, according to the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Each jubilee year starts with the Pope opening the Holy Doors at St Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve in the Vatican City. This represents the passage from sin to grace and new beginnings. The pontiff then opens a further four Holy Doors which remain open for the entire year.

This jubilee year, the Pope opened San Giovanni in Laterano (St John Lateran) on 29 December, Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) on 1 January and St Paul’s Outside the Walls on 5 January.

For the first time, he also opened a Holy Door at a prison. He opened one at Rebibbia new complex prison in Rome on 26 December as a gesture of hope for prisoners.

As the pontiff, the Pope has the authority to proclaim any church door as a Holy Door.

The goal of pilgrims who travel to Rome during a jubilee year is to pass through at least one of the Holy Doors.

Why are the royals going to Italy?

Despite being head of the Church of England, the King was set to meet the Pope, a meeting that would have marked “a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England”, according to Buckingham Palace.

However, due to the 88-year-old pontiff recovering from pneumonia, the private meeting between the two has been postponed.

Instead of going to the Holy See – the government of the Roman Catholic Church located in the Vatican – Charles and Camilla will make a historic visit to the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls and the King will become the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Italian parliament.

During the last jubilee, in the year 2000, Queen Elizabeth II met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

Can I still travel to Italy this year?

Rome is expected to be “very busy” throughout this year, particularly when bigger jubilee events take place, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has said.

In an update on 17 March, it advised Britons wanting to head to Italy, particularly the capital, to plan ahead.

The US Embassy in Italy has also updated its website to say: “Be prepared for crowds and extended wait times for transportation and entry into locations.

“You should book accommodations, transportation, and attraction tickets well in advance of arrival. Rome’s public transportation system will be under strain, and regular routes and schedules may change.”

There are events taking place nearly every month, with the most listed for May and June.

Events targeted towards specific groups of people, including families, workers, entrepreneurs and disabled people will take place, as well as concerts and special exhibitions in Rome’s museums.

The FCDO says people wanting to take part in the jubilee or organise a pilgrimage will need a Pilgrim’s card. This is free to download and can be obtained on the jubilee website or through the official app.

Despite Italy being busier than usual, Rome and other parts of the country are set to look their best for the jubilee, having been under construction nearly all of last year.

The capital pulled together billions of euros of state and European funds to overhaul tourist sites, transport hubs, parks, streets and even its rubbish bins.

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told Reuters last year that the jubilee was an “unmissable opportunity to make structural changes… and transform Rome”.

A record 3,200 public construction works were scheduled to take place, including 322 projects that were deemed essential for the jubilee.

Tips from a tour guide

Livia Angelini, a travel specialist at tour operator Scott Dunn, said for people planning to visit the Italian capital this year, “timing is everything”.

She recommends avoiding peak travel season in June and July, and when planning to visit major tourist sites such as the Vatican and Colosseum, go earlier in the morning rather than in the afternoon and on weekdays rather than weekends.

Ms Angelini added that visiting “lesser-known neighbourhoods to see some of the more local areas” will also give tourists a more authentic Roman experience without huge crowds.

“Wander the quiet, charming streets of Garbatella, and lose yourself in Monti, home to eclectic boutiques and traditional Roman trattorias,” she said.

“For those travellers who seek to combine another area, I recommend heading to the coast or countryside after your time in Rome. Hop on a train to Naples and ferry across to the idyllic island of Ischia, explore the vineyards and hilltop towns of Tuscany, or embrace a slower pace of life in Puglia.”

World

US trade court blocks Donald Trump from imposing sweeping global tariffs – claiming he ‘exceeded his authority’

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2025

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US trade court blocks Donald Trump from imposing sweeping global tariffs - claiming he 'exceeded his authority'

A trade court in the US has blocked President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping global tariffs on imports.

The ruling from a three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority, left U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos.

“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,” the court wrote, referring to the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The White House is yet to respond.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal.

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World

Trump doubles down on Putin criticism – as Russia offers Ukraine a date and location for peace talks

Published

8 hours ago

May 28, 2025

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Trump doubles down on Putin criticism - as Russia offers Ukraine a date and location for peace talks

Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Vladimir Putin – adding he will know soon if the Russian leader is just “tapping” him along.

The US president told reporters at the White House that he believed his counterpart in Moscow may be intentionally delaying ceasefire talks, while he also expressed disappointment at heavy Russian bombing over the weekend.

While Mr Trump has so far stopped short of imposing sanctions – to avoid, he says, “screwing up” negotiations – he warned his stance could change.

Ukraine Q&A: Are we any closer to war ending?

The president said: “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently,” adding that he “can’t tell you” if Mr Putin wanted peace.

His comments in the Oval Office came minutes after Russia’s foreign minister announced that the Kremlin had offered Ukraine a second round of talks on 2 June in Istanbul.

Kyiv did not immediately respond to the proposal, which Sergei Lavrov said would see Moscow hand their proposals for a potential peace deal directly to Ukraine.

“We hope that all those who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process will support holding a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul,” Mr Lavrov added.

Later on Wednesday, Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said his government was “not against” further meetings, but called for Russia to deliver its memorandum to Kyiv beforehand.

The words that suggest Russia’s proposal for talks are just for show

By being the first to propose a date and location for the second round of direct talks, Russia is trying to portray itself as the principal driver towards peace.

Its recent barrage of attacks on Ukraine have drawn harsh words from Donald Trump.

This is an attempt to soothe his concerns and to show Washington that Moscow is still interested in a deal.

But it feels much more performative than anything else, because Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statement makes it clear that Russia’s position hasn’t softened one bit.

Referring to a memorandum outlining the contours of a settlement, he said it details “all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis”.

In Moscow’s opinion, the “root causes” of the conflict were NATO expansion and the persecution of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

So, if that’s the basis of its memorandum, then the document will essentially be a list of Moscow’s maximalist demands, including permanent neutrality for Ukraine.

Lavrov also confirmed that Russia’s delegation will again be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who Kyiv last time dismissed as being too junior for the talks to achieve anything meaningful.

Expectations of a breakthrough at round two will be similarly low.

Meanwhile, Mr Lavrov also hit out at Germany for agreeing to finance the production of long-range missiles in Ukraine, accusing Berlin of showing it is “already a participant in the war”.

However, German leader Friedrich Merz declined to say that his country would hand over the Taurus missiles that Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy – who was in Berlin on Wednesday – has long wanted.

Ukraine’s need for ammunition has become all the more urgent after Russia launched some of the largest aerial assaults of the war so far over the weekend.

Russia said it had downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions overnight, while Ukraine said it had struck several weapon production sites.

Kyiv, in turn, said Moscow had launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles since Tuesday.

World

Hamas’s Gaza chief ‘eliminated’, says Netanyahu – but military sources say they cannot confirm death

Published

9 hours ago

May 28, 2025

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Hamas's Gaza chief 'eliminated', says Netanyahu - but military sources say they cannot confirm death

Hamas’s Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar has been “eliminated”, according to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Israeli military sources have said they are not yet able to confirm the death.

Hamas has also not yet confirmed the apparent killing of its leader.

Meanwhile, with Gaza on the brink of famine, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations broke down in tears as he spoke of the suffering of its people.

Riyah Mansour told the Security Council: “Children are dying of starvation. The images of mothers embracing their motionless bodies. Caressing their hair, talking to them, apologising to them, is unbearable.”

He added: “I have grandchildren. I know what they mean to their families. And to see this situation over the Palestinians without us having hearts to do something is beyond the ability of any normal human being to tolerate. Flames and hunger are devouring Palestinian children. This is why we are so outraged as Palestinians everywhere.”

Sinwar was one of Israel‘s most wanted and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group’s former leader Yahya Sinwar.

The older sibling was the mastermind of the October 7 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel, with around 250 others taken hostage into Gaza.

The attack triggered Israel’s assault on Gaza which decimated the territory, with more than 53,000 people killed, mostly women and children, and over two million displaced, according to health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their tally of fatalities.

Yahya Sinwar was killed in a gun battle with Israeli troops in Gaza last October. His younger sibling was believed to have then become the head of Hamas’s armed wing.

Speaking to the Knesset on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu included Mohammed Sinwar in a list of Hamas leaders killed in Israeli strikes. Later, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) sources said they were not yet able to confirm the death.

The prime minister said: “We have killed tens of thousands of terrorists. We killed (Mohammed) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar.” He did not elaborate.

Mohammed Sinwar had reportedly been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on 13 May and Mr Netanyahu said on 21 May that it was likely he had been killed.

The Israeli military had said it struck a Hamas command centre under the European Hospital in the Sinwars’ hometown of Khan Younis, and it declined to comment on whether Sinwar was targeted or killed.

At least six people were killed in the strike and 40 wounded, Gaza’s health ministry said at the time.

Sinwar rose through ranks

Like his older brother, Mohammed Sinwar joined Hamas after it was founded in the late 1980s as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. He became a member of the group’s military wing, known as the Qassam Brigades.

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Sinwar rose through the ranks to become a member of its so-called joint chiefs of staff, bringing him close to its longtime commander, Deif, who was killed in a strike last year.

“In the last two days, we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas,” the Israeli leader told the Knesset.

Mr Netanyahu also spoke about how Israel was “taking control of food distribution”, a reference to a new aid distribution system that has been criticised and boycotted by humanitarian groups and the UN.

One killed at site of aid hub

The development comes after one person was killed and 48 others injured when forces opened fire on a crowd that overwhelmed an aid hub in Gaza, according to local health officials.

Palestinians have become increasingly desperate for food after almost three months of Israeli border closures. A blockade has recently been eased.

People broke through fences around the distribution site on Wednesday, and a journalist with the Associated Press said they heard Israeli tank and gunfire, and saw a military helicopter firing flares.

It was not yet known whether the death and injuries were caused by Israeli forces, private contractors or others.

The Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which set up the hub outside Rafah, said its military contractors had not fired on the crowd but “fell back” before resuming aid operations. Israel said its troops nearby had fired warning shots.

The UN and other humanitarian organisations have rejected the new system, saying it will not meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food to control the population.

Israel has vowed to seize control of Gaza and fight until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and exiled, and until the militant group returns the last 58 hostages, including around a third thought to be still alive.

‘This is a man-made catastrophe’

Meanwhile, a US trauma surgeon who has been working in Gaza urged the UN Security Council to not “claim ignorance” about the humanitarian devastation.

Dr Feroze Sidhwa said: “Let’s not forget, this is a man-made catastrophe. It is entirely preventable. Participating in it or not allowing it to happen is a choice.

“This is a deliberate denial of conditions necessary for life: food, shelter, water and medicine. Preventing genocide means refusing to normalise these atrocities.”

The UN World Health Organization has documented around 700 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza during the war. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as command centres and to hide fighters.