Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Vatican last week opened a center to welcome pilgrims and tourists before they visit St. Peter’s Basilica.
The space, which was inaugurated Oct. 31, is intended to provide practical, artistic, and spiritual information to visitors of the Vatican basilica — especially during moments of higher than usual influx, as expected during the 2025 Jubilee Year.
Pope Francis said in a recent meeting with priests who hear confessions at St. Peter’s Basilica that the church has over 40,000 visitors a day.
The Vatican on Oct. 31, 2024, inaugurated a center to welcome pilgrims and tourists before they visit St. Peter’s Basilica. The welcome center will also offer support for visitors with physical disabilities and sell official St. Peter’s Basilica-branded objects. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The welcome center will also offer support for visitors with physical disabilities and sell official St. Peter’s Basilica-branded objects.
The “Official Area,” as the Vatican is calling the center, is located about a five-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square at the far end of the main thoroughfare leading to the basilica — at the address Via della Conciliazione 3a.
The Vatican has partnered with two Italian organizations, the nonprofit BeHuman and the for-profit company Civita Mostre e Musei,
