The event is part of the Roman Catholic Church’s Holy Year of Jubilee, which began in December 2024 and will conclude in January 2026 under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope."
The Jubilee program includes religious and social events in Rome and worldwide, drawing Catholics together in prayer, reconciliation and celebration.
It is rooted in Old Testament scripture which instructed Israelites to make every 50th year sacred by "proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants."
By early July, more than 13,000 young people from Poland and the Polish diaspora had signed up to attend the gathering, according to Fr. Tomasz Koprianiuk, director of Poland’s World Youth Day Office.
Koprianiuk told reporters that over 12,000 pilgrims had registered from Poland, along with about 1,000 young people from Polish communities in countries including Germany, the United States and France.
The largest numbers are coming from southern and central Poland, he said.
Twenty-two Polish bishops, over 420 priests and 120 members of religious orders will accompany pilgrims throughout the weeklong gathering.
The Youth Jubilee will officially begin on July 29 with a mass at St. Peter’s Square, organized by the Diocese of Rome. The event will conclude with a final mass at Tor Vergata, on the outskirts of Rome, on the morning of August 3.
In the lead-up to the Rome gathering, eight dioceses near the Italian capital will host young people from July 24 to 28, following the model of World Youth Day pre-events.
On July 27, all groups will converge in Assisi at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli for a shared prayer and visit to the Porziuncola, a chapel closely associated with St. Francis, the 13th-century mystic and Catholic monk who founded the religious order of the Franciscans.
'Polish Rome'
Polish participants will also have access to a dedicated cultural and spiritual hub called “Polish Rome – Casa Polonia,” located at the Istituto Salesiano Teresa Gerini Torlonia on Via Tiburtina.
Koprianiuk described the Youth Jubilee as an important milestone on the road to the next World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.
“For many young people, this will be a chance to experience the universality of the Church, to share their faith, learn how to build relationships, and shape their character,” he said. “That is often much more important than pastoral approaches that focus primarily on rules and prohibitions.”
In August 2023, more than 1.5 million people, among them Poland's First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, attended the closing Mass of the Catholic Church's previous World Youth Day event in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, according to the Polish President’s Office.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, vaticannews.va/vaticannews.va, sdmpolska.pl