It’s a jubilee for the books.
Videos by TravelAwaits
The 2025 Jubilee is centered around finding hope, but only months after opening the Holy Door in the Vatican, Pope Francis passed away at age 88 on Easter Monday. It’s made this year’s jubilee theme of ‘Hope Does Not Disappoint’ even more poignant.
Given reports of the Pope’s ebbing health, the news wasn’t a surprise for thousands of pilgrims and tourists flocking to Rome. Still, it’s brought up concerns and questions for anyone with plans to attend the jubilee celebrations.
Tourists heading to Rome likely have questions about whether the jubilee will continue and, if so, in what form?
After all, the Vatican is one of the most rigidly organized entities in the world—and the death of a pope kicks off a highly ornate and hush-hush series of events. (Some traditions date as far back as Ancient Rome, just to give you context for how involved and historic the proceedings are.)
Let’s cover the basics for anyone who has plans to visit Rome and the Vatican for the 2025 Jubilee.
Is the 2025 Jubilee canceled?
The 2025 Jubilee is not canceled. Following the pope’s death, Catholics enter a nine-day mourning period that includes Pope Francis’s funeral and burial.
Though most Popes choose to be buried in the Vatican under St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis has instead elected to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.
After the burial, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican to elect a new pope. This group is known as the College of Cardinals. If you saw 2024’s Conclave, you have a basic understanding of how this highly political process works.
When will a new Pope be named?
Around 120 Cardinals will gather to debate amongst one another before voting for a new pope. On the actual day of voting, the Sistine Chapel will be closed off and all eligible voting Cardinals will be locked inside. Candidates must receive a 2/3 majority to take the (papal) crown next.
The vote isn’t always quick or easy. When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, the decision took around a day and required multiple votes.
But there are famous cases in which the next pope wasn’t confirmed for years.
In other words, we don’t know when a new Pope will be named, and that’s what will likely impact any jubilee trips scheduled for this year.
It’s expected that the College of Cardinals will gather to start debating and voting within a month after the funeral. Every day that they gather without selecting a new pope, they release a literal smoke signal—black, to signify a decision hasn’t been made.
It’s likely that the new pope will be chosen fairly quickly after the conclave has gathered, and a decision on a new pope could come as early as the end of May.
Once the decision is made, the ballots are burned in the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, and white smoke declares to the world that a new pope will be announced shortly.
How does a new pope affect the jubilee? And should visitors change their plans?
This isn’t the first time a pope has passed away during a jubilee year, but it does pose a unique situation. Popes get to steer the tone of each jubilee; this year’s emphasis on hope is one that Pope Francis chose.
His replacement could choose a new theme, theoretically.
That’s unlikely to happen given this jubilee is already underway and many pilgrims have already booked their trips. Thematically, it’s already well underway.
Instead, the better question is how long it will take the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope.
Though most turnovers are relatively fast, there’s no guarantee that things will wrap up quickly—and that means one thing for visitors: don’t expect access to the Sistine Chapel.
As mentioned above, the College of Cardinals forms a sequestered enclave in the Sistine Chapel to debate a new pope and cast their votes.
And those votes must be a 2/3 majority, which means multiple votes can be taken in a single day. For anyone heading to Rome in May, don’t expect to get inside.
If the possibility of not making it into the Sistine Chapel throws a wrench into your plans, you might want to consider a few backup plans—especially if you’re visiting in May or June.
