The year 2025 will be remembered as a pivotal and deeply transformative period in the modern history of the Catholic Church. Marked by a solemn transition in leadership and the global celebration of the Jubilee Year, it reshaped the Church’s direction for the years ahead.
A New Shepherd and Papal succession
The most significant moment of 2025 was the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor. After an 88 day struggle with severe respiratory illness following hospitalization in February, Pope Francis passed away peacefully on April 21, 2025, Easter Monday. Known as the Pope of the peripheries, he left a lasting legacy of compassion and closeness to the marginalized.
His final public appearance came on Easter Sunday, when he delivered the Urbi et Orbi blessing. Though physically frail, his message reflected unwavering faith and pastoral courage.
On May 7, 2025, 133 cardinal electors entered the Sistine Chapel as the world watched in anticipation. After four ballots, white smoke appeared on May 8, announcing the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American Augustinian and former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He took the name Pope Leo XIV.
From the outset, his pontificate emphasized ecclesial communion and a renewed preferential option for the poor, themes later developed in his inaugural apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, meaning I have loved you.
Pilgrims of hope and the Jubilee year
Alongside this historic transition, the Church observed the Ordinary Jubilee Year of 2025, celebrated every 25 years. Held under the theme Pilgrims of Hope, the Jubilee drew millions of faithful from across the world to Rome, turning the Eternal City into a centre of prayer and pilgrimage.
The year opened with the symbolic opening of the Holy Doors at the four major papal basilicas: St Peter’s Basilica, St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Paul Outside the Walls. These doors, associated with grace and reconciliation, are being ceremonially closed in late December, with the final closing at St Peter’s Basilica scheduled for January 6, 2026.
Several themed Jubilee celebrations marked the year. The Jubilee of Youth in July and August brought hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims together for prayer, catechesis, and joyful gatherings. In April, the Jubilee of the Sick became one of the final major events attended by Pope Francis, reflecting his lifelong closeness to those who suffer. In September, the Jubilee of Justice gathered legal and political leaders, renewing calls for dignity, equity, and peace.
Canonizations and ecumenical outreach
Pope Leo XIV used the Jubilee year to highlight modern examples of holiness through canonizations. Among them was Carlo Acutis, widely known as the millennial saint, whose devotion to the Eucharist and use of digital tools for evangelization resonated strongly with younger generations.
Also canonized was Pier Giorgio Frassati, remembered as the Man of the Eight Beatitudes. His life of service to the poor, love for the outdoors, and deep spiritual commitment continues to inspire young people worldwide.
The year also strengthened ecumenical relations. The 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea offered a historic moment for dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. In late November, Pope Leo XIV travelled to Turkey, where shared prayers and fraternal encounters highlighted the enduring hope for Christian unity rooted in the Nicene Creed.
A decade of Laudato Si and care for creation
September marked the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical on care for our common home. To honour its message, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the Laudato Si Village at Castel Gandolfo. The former papal summer residence has been transformed into a centre for ecological education, sustainable living, and interdisciplinary research, reinforcing the Church’s long term commitment to environmental responsibility.
In Conclusion, 2025 has been a year of profound change and spiritual vitality for the Catholic Church. From mourning and transition to celebration and renewal, from ecumenical outreach to renewed care for creation, the Church has moved forward with hope and purpose, truly living its calling as Pilgrims of Hope in a complex and changing world.