Pope Leo XIV is enjoying a busy weekend with the Jubilee of Youth as the Catholic Church celebrates its Jubilee year. "For me, it is a privilege, a blessing," the pontiff said ahead of the event in Rome on Saturday.

ROME -- Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics poured into a vast field on Rome’s outskirts Saturday for the weekend highlight of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year: an evening vigil, outdoor slumber party and morning Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV that marks his first big encounter with the next generation of Catholics.

The Holy Father was greeted Aug. 2 by joyous crowds on the 237-acre grounds of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, 10 miles east of Rome, where teenagers and young adults will stay all night in anticipation of the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Sunday morning.