Rome Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is deeply important to Catholics as a physical and spiritual experience that mirrors the soul’s ultimate journey toward God. It is an act of devotion, penance and prayer – often undertaken to sacred sites including the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, or Santiago de Compostela. These journeys help people deepen their faith, seek healing and express gratitude for blessings. Through sacrifice and contemplation, they strengthen one’s relationship with God and are a tangible expression of spiritual commitment.

INTERNATIONAL PILGRIMAGE SITES

Rome: Visit and walk through the Holy Door at any of the four major papal basilicas: St. Peter’s in the Vatican, the Archbasilica of the Holy Savior (St. John Lateran), St. Mary Major, and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Churches connected to outstanding women saints and Doctors of the Church are also pilgrimage sites this Jubilee Year. For details, see the Vatican’s Rome pilgrimage itineraries.

Tip: The Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican, sponsored by the Pontifical North American College and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, provides information that can help you plan your Rome pilgrimage so that it may be a truly prayerful experience.

Holy Land: Visit at least one of the three basilicas: the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, or the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Jubilee pilgrimage itineraries

The Vatican is featuring several itineraries for pilgrimages to the Eternal City, including one that features papal basilicas and one that highlights the patronesses of Europe and Doctors of the Church.

The Jubilee Churches

These are the 12 churches designated as gathering points for pilgrims when they come to Rome.

More info about the Jubilee Year pilgrimages:

Diocese of Charlotte Pilgrimage

The Diocese of Charlotte is organizing a pilgrimage to Rome in November of 2025 (details to be announced).

What if I can’t go on a pilgrimage?

If you are truly repentant of sin but cannot participate in the various Jubilee Year celebrations or pilgrimages for serious reasons (especially cloistered nuns and monks, but also the elderly, the sick, prisoners, and those who, through their work in hospitals or other care facilities, provide continuous service to the sick), you can obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, if, united in spirit with those taking part in person, you pray the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any approved form, and other prayers in conformity with the objectives of the Holy Year, offering up your sufferings or hardships.

The faithful, frequently at the conclusion of a lengthy pilgrimage, draw from the spiritual treasury of the Church by passing through the Holy Door and venerating the relics of the Apostles Peter and Paul preserved in Roman basilicas. Down the centuries, millions upon millions of pilgrims have journeyed to these sacred places, bearing living witness to the faith professed in every age.