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

Former UN chief’s labelling of Gaza war as ‘genocide’ marks extraordinary shift

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2025

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Former UN chief's labelling of Gaza war as 'genocide' marks extraordinary shift

In a stark and direct intervention, Martin Griffiths, the former UN humanitarian chief, has described the situation in Gaza as genocide.

The statement, made during an interview I conducted with Griffiths on The World, marks one of the most pointed accusations yet from a figure known to be deeply embedded in the world of international politics and diplomacy.

“I think now we’ve got to the point this is unequivocal. Of course it is genocide. Just as it is weaponising aid.

“We don’t need to look behind ourselves to see that’s the case. That should encourage us even more because we, of course, all doubted whether it would come to that level of definition.

“We all doubted whether famine is actually there. I think starvation is killing people. That’s bad enough. We don’t have to worry about famine, which is obviously there lurking in the shadows.

“Also, genocide… of course that’s what has happened. We only need to look at the statements made. Prime Minister Netanyahu has the virtue of being very clear about his objectives.”

His choice of words is extraordinary – not just for its gravity, but because it’s Griffiths who is saying it.

A veteran diplomat with decades of experience navigating complex international crises, Griffiths is known for his calm and thoughtful demeanour – not for inflammatory language.

For him to use the term “genocide” in a television interview signals a significant shift in how some within the international system are now interpreting events on the ground in Gaza – 20 months since Israel launched its war.

The timing is also noteworthy.

Just weeks earlier, Tom Fletcher, another respected former British ambassador and current UN humanitarian chief, came close to using the phrase during a UN Security Council session.

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He said: “What more evidence do you need now? Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead: ‘we did all we could?'”

Whilst he stopped short, his tone showed a clear change in how leading international figures now view the direction of Israeli military operations in Gaza; staggering civilian deaths, and the statements made by Israeli officials prosecuting this war.

Griffiths’ remarks now go a step further.

It comes as the British government continues to grapple with public anger over the mounting civilian toll – and faces growing scrutiny over its continued arms exports to Israel.

This latest statement by Griffiths doesn’t just reflect humanitarian concern.

As a former ambassador, he knows the weight his words carry.

And with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsening, his warning challenges Israel’s allies to ask deeply uncomfortable questions.

Lawyers representing Israel against accusations brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice last year – accusing its actions in Gaza of amounting to genocide – called the claims “unfounded”, “absurd” and amounting to “libel”.

They went on to say Israel respected international law and had a right to defend itself.

World

More than 40% of Europe slides into drought, including pockets of Greece, southern Italy and Spain

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2025

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More than 40% of Europe slides into drought, including pockets of Greece, southern Italy and Spain

Well over a third of Europe, including parts of holiday destinations like Spain, Greece and Italy, are now in drought.

March was Europe’s warmest on record – a trend driven by climate change – and also saw below average rain across large parts of the north and east of the continent.

Now 41.2% of Europe finds itself in some form of drought, according to the latest update from the EU’s European Drought Observatory, which covers 11 to 20 May.

It is most acute in pockets of south-eastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania, where the strongest “alert” category has been issued, as well as parts of Poland and Ukraine.

But broad stretches of northern and eastern Europe through France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine also drying up, sowing concerns about crop yields.

On Thursday, the UK’s Environment Agency officially declared a drought in North West England after river and reservoir levels were licked away by a dry spring.

Greece tourism is ‘unsustainable’

In Greece, “overtourism” from millions flocking to its beaches adds further pressure to water supplies, said Nikitas Mylopoulos, professor of water resource management at Thessaly University.

“The tourist sector is unsustainable and there is no planning… leading to a tremendous rise in water demand in summer,” he told Sky News.

“The islands have an intense problem of drought and water scarcity.”

Islands like Santorini and Mykonos are now forced to ship in water from Athens or desalination plants to provide for showers and swimming pools. In the past, many residents could make do with local methods like rainwater harvesting.

But agriculture is a far bigger drain on the country’s water, with waste rife and policies lacking, said Prof Mylopoulos.

Wildfire season could be ‘particularly difficult’

This year’s hot and dry conditions are also fuelling the risk of yet another fierce wildfire season in Greece.

Last week civil protection minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis warned of a “particularly difficult” summer.

He said a record 18,000 firefighters have been deployed and the drone fleet almost doubled in a bid to combat fires being fuelled by a hotter climate.

Droughts and their causes are more complicated, but scientists at World Weather Attribution say global warming is exacerbating drought in some parts of the world, including around the Mediterranean.

They found the drought of 2022, which spread across the Northern Hemisphere, was made 20 times more likely by climate change.

The International Hydropower Association said drought and intense rain in Europe are pushing power plants to “operate at the limits of their existing equipment”.

Extreme weather costs the EU about €28.3bn (£23.8bn) in lost crops and livestock per year, according to insurance firm Howden.

Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University, said: “With global warming, we expect more prolonged and intense droughts and heatwaves punctuated by more intense rainfall, possibly causing flash floods.

“In recent years, we have experienced more of these atmospheric blocks, causing record heat and persistent drought, as well as severe flooding in other locations in Europe.

“Recent months have been no different, with prolonged dry conditions and heatwaves in northern Europe and floods in southern Europe.”

World

Nigeria floods: At least 117 dead as heavy flooding submerges thousands of houses

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2025

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Nigeria floods: At least 117 dead as heavy flooding submerges thousands of houses

At least 117 people have died and others are still missing after heavy flooding in Nigeria, an emergency official said.

Authorities initially said 21 people had died but this figure has today risen significantly.

Media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse has worsened the situation.

Ibrahim Hussaini, head of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said some 3,000 houses were underwater in two communities.

Videos posted on social media show floodwater sweeping through neighbourhoods, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. One clip shows a tanker floating through a town.

The chairman of the Mokwa local government area suggested poor infrastructure has worsened the impact of the flooding.

Jibril Muregi has appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in the area under a climate resilience project.

In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions.

Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April – and flooding is becoming more common and extreme as the climate warms.

Hotter air is thirstier and can hold more moisture – about 7% more for every 1C warmer – meaning it unleashes heavier flooding when it rains.

Violent rain, which killed hundreds of people in Nigeria during 2022, was made at least 80 times more likely and 20% more intense by climate change, analysis by World Weather Attribution found.