More than 20,000 pilgrims from 90 countries to participate in Jubilee of the Sick
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. / Credit: Mistervlad/Shutterstock
Vatican City, Apr 3, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).
More than 20,000 pilgrims from 90 countries — including patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals — will participate in the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers at the Vatican this weekend.
The April 5-6 jubilee is one of the major celebrations of the 2025 Jubilee Year. It will feature times for prayer and reflection as well as a group pilgrimage along Via della Conziliazione to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
According to a statement from the Dicastery for Evangelization, Italy will be the most-represented country, but delegations are also expected from the United States, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Mexico, Germany, Croatia, the Philippines, Peru, Australia, Chile, Ethiopia, Canada, and Cameroon, among others.
Likewise, numerous Italian and international health care associations and entities will participate in the organization of activities, highlighting the work of Fratres, a Catholic association that promotes blood donation; ANED, which strives for a better life for all people suffering from kidney disease through home hemodialysis systems; the Italian Catholic Physicians Association; the Bambino Gesù (Baby Jesus) Pediatric Hospital; and the Pharmaceutical Bank Foundation.
The activities planned for the event will begin on Saturday, April 5, when pilgrims will be able to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, a moment of special recollection and spiritual renewal that can be part of gaining a plenary indulgence.
The faithful who make pilgrimages to any sacred place, such as the major papal basilicas in Rome or venerated sites in the Holy Land, can benefit from this jubilee grace — whether visiting individually or in a group — while devoting time to Eucharistic adoration and meditation.
In the afternoon, Rome will host numerous meetings and conferences as part of the “Dialogues with the City,” a series of events organized in various squares in the historic center of the Eternal City.
One of the most important events will take place in Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Square), where the event “The Value of Gift and Solidarity” will begin at 4 p.m. with the participation of the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella; Italian Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci; Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri; and Lazio regional president Francesco Rocca.
At the same time, the international conference “Hospice = Hope” will be held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., addressing the importance of comprehensive care for chronically ill or end-of-life patients.
The American Heart Association will offer at the same time a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course, available in several languages, while the Fratres organization will promote a special blood donation campaign, with a collection from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
*Health awareness and moments of prayer*
Throughout the day, various awareness-raising activities will take place in different areas of the city. Health education sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. events focused on addiction prevention and treatment will be organized by the Vicariate of the Diocese of Rome.
In the spiritual realm, St. Monica Church in Piazza Sant’Uffizio will host a conference on the life of Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro, a medical student who died of a rare illness.
The event will feature the participation of her sister, Emanuela Bianchi Porro, and Father Andrea Vena, postulator of Benedetta’s cause for canonization.
In addition, prayer and catechetical sessions have been scheduled in various churches in the capital, led by religious congregations dedicated to caring for the sick.
In the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, participants will be able to participate in the reflection titled “In the Footsteps of Blessed Luigi Novarese: Finding Blessing When Life Is Fraught with Fragility,” while in the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the presentation “In the Footsteps of St. Camillo de Lellis: The Heart Unifies a Fragmented Life” will take place.
Meanwhile, at the Church of San Gregorio VII, the Pharmaceutical Bank Foundation will hold the colloquium “Caring and Being Cared For: Where Does Our Hope Lie?” with the participation of Monsignor Andrea Manto, episcopal vicar for health care ministry in Rome; Sergio Daniotti, president of the Pharmaceutical Bank; and Giorgio Bordin, president of Medicine and Person.
Finally, at the Pontifical Lateran University, a conference sponsored by the Italian Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart will be held. The conference will address the role of patient associations in building a more humane and participatory national health system in Italy.
On Sunday, April 6, the Jubilee for the Sick will continue with Mass in St. Peter’s Square at 10:30 a.m., celebrated by Fisichella.
On this occasion, a homily written by Pope Francis, who continues his convalescence at the Casa Santa Marta residence at the Vatican following his hospitalization, will be read. It is expected the pope will send a message of hope and commitment to the sick and health care workers.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.