The procession began at 2:30 p.m. in Rome’s Piazza Celimontana and followed a 3.75-kilometer route through some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Via Claudia, the Colosseum, Via di San Gregorio, and the Circus Maximus. It concluded later in the evening amidst prayers, saetas (devotional songs), sacred music, and moving moments shared by participants and onlookers alike.
Among the most remarkable highlights was the participation of Spanish brotherhoods, especially the presence of two revered religious images invited to lead the procession due to their profound symbolic and artistic significance: the Holy Christ of the Expiration, popularly known as “El Cachorro,” from the Brotherhood of El Patrocinio in Seville, and Our Lady of Hope from the Archconfraternity of Hope in Málaga. These images had been on public display at St. Peter’s Basilica from May 14 to 16, drawing thousands of pilgrims.
Nevertheless, the event was truly collective in spirit. Italian confraternities, many with centuries of history, demonstrated their deep ties to both the Church and the social fabric of their regions. Representatives from Rome, Naples, Sicily, Tuscany, and Sardinia actively participated, carrying relics, candles, sacred images, and processional crosses, accompanied by applause and traditional hymns.
Latin American brotherhoods were also notably present, with delegations from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina. Many wore traditional garments and carried regional devotional symbols or replicas of their sacred images, contributing their own musical expressions of faith.
France and Portugal, both with strong cofrade traditions, participated enthusiastically. Brotherhoods from southern France, especially from Marseille and Toulouse, joined groups from Braga, Porto, and Lisbon, highlighting the vitality of these expressions of faith in Western Europe.
The international procession was followed by the Grand Procession led by the Andalusian (Spain) religious images. Along the route, thousands of people acclaimed the thrones as they passed, singing, praying, and shouting expressions of devotion. Renowned singer Diana Navarro performed a moving saeta in front of the Colosseum as “El Cachorro” passed, creating one of the day’s most memorable moments. Our Lady of Hope of Málaga was greeted with enthusiastic cries of “Beautiful!” and “Long live the Queen of Málaga!” near the Roman Forum.
The event was made possible thanks to the efforts of volunteers from various countries, liturgical teams, marching bands, and both civic and religious security services, ensuring the solemn and orderly unfolding of the day.
Among the dignitaries in attendance were Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Andalusian Regional Government; María Jesús Montero, First Vice President of the Government of Spain; and representatives from various episcopal conferences and international archconfraternities.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and coordinator of Jubilee 2025, stated in his remarks that “the brotherhoods represent a Church that walks alongside the people, that consoles, that preserves tradition, and that transforms art into prayer.” He added that this Jubilee of the Brotherhoods offers an opportunity to “highlight the evangelizing value of popular Christian heritage.”
At the conclusion of the procession, participants joined together in a final communal prayer, giving thanks for the gift of faith and invoking hope for all the peoples of the world. The atmosphere remained festive yet reverent, marked by moments of silence, shared emotion, and heartfelt devotion.
The Great Jubilee Procession of Brotherhoods will be remembered as one of the most significant and symbolic events of Jubilee 2025—a moment of global encounter between cultures, languages, and expressions of faith that reaffirmed the role of brotherhoods as living bridges between tradition and the contemporary Church, between popular devotion and the universal communion.
