Planning a trip to Rome? Expect huge crowds

St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican is the mother church of the global Catholic community. (Image: Fczarnowski / Wikipedia CC BY 3.0)

The Wall Street Journal

Sun, 19 Jan 2025

By Jacob PassyThis may be the year to skip Rome – or Italy entirely.The Catholic Church is celebrating a jubilee year, a roughly year-long tradition dating back to the early 14th century. During jubilees, which tend to happen about every 25 years, Catholics are encouraged to make pilgrimages to holy sites in Italy and elsewhere to receive a special indulgence, or forgiveness for their sins. More than 500,000 people have passed through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican since Christmas Eve, and more than 30...

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