VATICAN CITY — More than 20,000 pilgrims from 90 countries – including patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals – participated in the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers at the Vatican over the weekend.
The April 5-6 jubilee is one of the major celebrations of the 2025 Jubilee Year. It featured 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 is expected to be the most-represented country, but delegations are also came 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 participated 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.
Activities began on Saturday, April 5, when pilgrims arrived at 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 hosted 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 took place in Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Square), where “The Value of Gift and Solidarity” saw 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” was held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, addressing the importance of comprehensive care for chronically ill or end-of-life patients.
The American Heart Association offered a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course, available in several languages, while the Fratres organization promoted a special blood donation campaign.
Throughout the day, various awareness-raising activities took place in different areas of the city. 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 hosted a conference on the life of Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro, a medical student who died of a rare illness. The eventl featured 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.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.