Attendance at papal events increased by 88 percent in 2025, rising to 3.17 million participants, after more than a decade of sustained decline during the pontificate of Pope Francis.
At the beginning of Francis’ pontificate, attendance exceeded 7.3 million, one of the highest levels ever recorded.
From that point onward, participation declined almost uninterruptedly.
By 2024, attendance had fallen to 1,682,100, less than a quarter of the levels seen in 2013.
The loss of engagement unfolded gradually but consistently, with no year reversing the trend in a meaningful way.
During the final months of Francis’ pontificate in early 2025, only 262,820 people attended papal events.
His last general audience took place on 12 February, shortly before his hospitalization and death.
By that stage, public participation had reached historically low levels.
The election of Leo XIV in May produced an immediate numerical increase. From May to December, 2.9 million people attended papal events, with monthly participation rising steadily and peaking at 295,000 in October. Even so, these figures remain far below those recorded at the beginning of Francis’ pontificate, when attendance routinely exceeded seven million annually.
The rise in 2025 does not erase the scale of the loss accumulated over more than a decade, but it does underline how sharply participation had fallen before.
It can be assumed that the continued appointment of anti-Catholic bishops by Leo XIV will lead to a significant decline in his popularity, as was the case under Francis.
#newsIusjobstmb