By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Close to 3 million pilgrims and visitors attended audiences, liturgies, or meetings at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV from the time of his election in May through December, according to the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
The prefecture, which handles the free tickets to audiences and Masses, as well as arranges the pope’s daily schedule of meetings, published statistics for the year Dec. 30.
The numbers did not include events outside the Vatican; for instance, it did not count the Mass with more than 1 million people the pope celebrated Aug. 3 at Tor Vergata on the outskirts of Rome to conclude the Jubilee of Youth, nor did the tabulations include the crowds who came to see him in Turkey and Lebanon during his first foreign trip as pope Nov. 27-Dec. 2.
The prefecture did include people who came to see Pope Francis before his death April 21. The pope, who was hospitalized from Feb. 14 to March 23, was present for eight Wednesday or Jubilee general audiences at the Vatican, welcoming 60,500 people.
In special audiences with groups, Pope Francis encountered more than 10,000 people; some 62,000 people joined Pope Francis for Masses and prayer services, and an estimated 130,000 joined him for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer on Sundays, the prefecture said. That means he encountered 262,820 people in 2025.
Pope Leo held 36 general and Jubilee audiences during the year since his election May 8, encountering just over 1 million people, the prefecture reported.
In special audiences with smaller groups, the office said, he met with another 148,300 people.
Some 796,500 people attended liturgies celebrated by Pope Leo at the Vatican during the year, and an estimated 900,000 people joined him for the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays and holy days.
The prefecture said that meant 2,913,800 people had encountered Pope Leo at the Vatican in 2025.
The total for 2024, which was not a Holy Year, was close to 1.7 million people at audiences and prayers with Pope Francis.
Cutline for featured image: Pope Leo XIV greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile as he rides around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience Dec. 17, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
