Pope Leo XIV Closes Historic Jubilee With Sharp Critique of Consumerism
Finn's Take· TL;DR- Pope Leo XIV closed the 2025 Holy Year, criticizing consumerism while 33 million pilgrims visited Rome during the historic transition.
- His Epiphany homily challenged modern economic priorities, calling for fairness and peace instead of treating humans as mere consumers.
- Major infrastructure projects transformed Rome; Leo now shifts focus to governing the global Catholic Church and addressing liturgical divisions.
A Historic Transition Marked by Unprecedented Circumstances
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday closed out the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year by denouncing today's consumerist and anti-foreigner sentiment, capping a Jubilee that saw some 33 million pilgrims flock to Rome and a historic transition from one American pontiff to another. The ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica marked an extraordinary moment in Church history— only once before, in 1700, has a Holy Year been opened by one pope and closed by another.
With cardinals and diplomats looking on, Pope Leo XIV kneeled down in prayer on the stone floor at the threshold of the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica. He then stood up and pulled the two doors shut, symbolically concluding the rarest of Jubilees: one that late Pope Francis opened in December 2024, continued during his funeral and the conclave, and then was closed by Pope Francis' successor a year later. The solemn act brought to an end a dizzying year of special audiences, Masses and meetings that dominated Leo's first months as pontiff and in many ways put his own agenda on hold.
A Pointed Message on Economic Justice and Migration
During his Epiphany homily, Pope Leo delivered a sharp critique of modern society's priorities. "Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything," he said. "Let us ask ourselves: has the Jubilee taught us to flee from this type of efficiency that reduces everything to a product and human beings to consumers?" His words carried particular weight given the massive economic impact of the Jubilee itself— Rome took advantage of some 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in public funds to carry out long-delayed projects to lift the city out of years of neglect and bring it up to modern, European standards.
In his homily Tuesday, Leo said the Jubilee year had invited all Christians to reflect on the Biblical teachings to welcome the stranger and resist "the flattery and seduction of those in power." Speaking to thousands gathered under umbrellas in a rain-soaked St. Peter's Square, Leo recalled that traditionally, Jubilees have included appeals for peace and "a redistribution of the land and its resources" to those in need. "In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace," he said.
Massive Infrastructure Legacy and Future Plans
The 2025 Jubilee continued a centuries-old tradition of transformative public works projects. Massive public works projects have long accompanied Holy Years, including the creation of the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV for the Jubilee of 1475, and the big Vatican garage for the 2000 Jubilee under St John Paul II. However, some projects have proven controversial— the construction of Via della Conciliazione, the broad boulevard leading to St Peter's Square, required razing an entire neighbourhood for the 1950 Jubilee.
The main public works project for the 2025 Jubilee was an extension of that boulevard: a pedestrian piazza along the Tiber linking Via della Conciliazione to the nearby Castel Sant'Angelo, with the major road that had separated them diverted to an underground tunnel. Looking ahead, Leo has already announced that the next Jubilee will be in 2033, to commemorate what Christians believe was the A.D. 33 death and resurrection of Christ.
Setting the Stage for Governance Challenges
As if to signal his pontificate now can begin in earnest, Leo has summoned the world's cardinals to the Vatican for two days of meetings starting Wednesday to discuss governing the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church. The timing suggests Leo views the Jubilee's conclusion as the true beginning of his papal agenda, free from the ceremonial obligations that have defined his first months in office.
On the agenda is the issue of the liturgy, suggesting Leo is diving head-first into the divisions within the church over the celebration of the old Latin Mass. This immediate focus on one of the Church's most contentious issues signals that the new pope intends to tackle difficult questions directly rather than avoid them. The extraordinary consistory represents both an opportunity for unity and a potential flashpoint, as Leo seeks to balance competing visions of Catholic worship while maintaining the global Church's cohesion in an increasingly polarized world.