Vatican City: The Vatican is preparing to welcome more than 15,000 pilgrims from across the globe for the Jubilee of Justice, a first-of-its-kind celebration dedicated to those serving in secular, canonical, and ecclesiastical justice systems. The event, scheduled for Saturday, September 20, will be held in St. Peter’s Square, marking a milestone in the ongoing Holy Year observances.
This year’s Jubilee carries historic significance: for the first time, the Catholic Church has chosen to honor professionals in the justice sector from judges, prosecutors, magistrates, and lawyers to court officials, administrative staff, and their families. According to the Holy See Press Office, the Jubilee underscores the Church’s recognition of justice as not only a civic duty but also a profound vocation rooted in moral responsibility.
Delegations will arrive from nearly 100 countries, representing a true global gathering. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, France, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Australia, Nigeria, Peru, and the Philippines will send some of the largest groups. The turnout highlights the Church’s universal reach and the deep resonance of justice as a shared human value.
The Jubilee will draw representatives from prestigious institutions including Italy’s Ministry of Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Superior Council of the Judiciary, and the Supreme Court of Cassation. International participation will be equally prominent, with confirmed delegates from the Supreme Courts of the United States, Brazil, Colombia, and Spain, as well as members of the Confederation of Catholic Jurists of France. Vatican judicial bodies and Catholic legal associations will also play a central role, making the event both civic and ecclesial in scope.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will welcome participants and introduce a lectio divina led by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. The reflection, titled “Iustitia Imago Dei: The Worker of Justice, Instrument of Hope”, will set the spiritual tone for the day.
Pilgrims will benefit from real-time multilingual access to the proceedings via the Vatican Vox app, ensuring inclusivity for attendees from diverse regions.
At noon, Pope Leo XIV will deliver a special jubilee audience in St. Peter’s Square, addressing his remarks directly to those engaged in the pursuit of justice worldwide. The celebration will culminate in a pilgrimage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, symbolizing renewal and mercy at the heart of the Church’s jubilee tradition.
Beyond the central liturgical events, the Jubilee of Justice will include scholarly and diplomatic gatherings in Rome. The Chancellery Palace will host a colloquium featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. Meanwhile, the Palazzo Altemps will welcome a conference led by French priest and Pontifical Lateran University professor Patrick Valdrini, co-hosted by the French Embassy to the Holy See and the Pious Establishments of France in Rome and Loreto.
As the Vatican prepares for this unprecedented event, Church leaders stress that justice must be seen not only as a legal principle but also as an instrument of peace, reconciliation, and hope. The Jubilee of Justice, they say, is an invitation for those who uphold the law to rediscover their vocation as builders of human dignity.