VATICAN CITY // The Holy See Press Office this week released a report detailing how many people participated in liturgical celebrations, special and general audiences, and Angelus addresses with Pope Francis in Vatican City in the last full year of his pontificate.
At General Audiences, there is usually a Scripture reading, and a short catechesis message and an Apostolic Blessing from the Holy Father, Pontifical North American College explains. These audiences usually were held on Wednesdays and, due to the limited seating, required tickets, which were free. The topics of the catechesis varied; in January and February of this year, Pope Francis dedicated several of these general audience messages speaking out against child labor and abortion, in August 2024 spoke urgently on the importance of helping migrants, and in September 2024 denounced pornography.
The pope held 41 general audiences in 2024 and eight in 2025, according to the report. In 2024, in total, 518,000 faithful participated in his general audiences. The month of May marked the highest number of faithful at general audiences, with 90,000 recorded. There was no recorded number for July, as the Pontifical North American College notes that usually, no General Audiences are held during this month. The following month of August saw 18,000 faithful at the General Audiences, the fewest number present for the year.
In total in 2024, 277,000 faithful participated in liturgical celebrations with Pope Francis. March 2024 saw the highest number of faithful at these liturgies, with 77,000 in attendance, and August saw the lowest, with 1,000. Also in the last full year of his pontificate, he received 267,000 people in special audiences.
As pope, he was also responsible for giving the weekly Angelus addresses, which are normally delivered on Sundays at noon, in person to those in St. Peter’s Square. The Angelus addresses usually included a reflection on the Sunday gospel. After praying the Angelus, he would also often call for peace amid warring countries and note numerous communities, countries, and people who were especially in his prayers.
He would often conclude with: “I wish you all a happy Sunday. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!”
In total in 2024, 620,000 faithful participated in his Angelus addresses. Throughout the 12 months, the numbers stayed steadily in the tens of thousands, with the lowest being 30,000 in July, and the most being 80,000 in both March and April.
In all, 1,682,100 people attended the general and special audiences, the liturgical celebrations, and the Angelus addresses in 2024.
According to the report, the highest number of faithful recorded at these four kinds of events with the Holy Father was in 2013, the year he was elected pope. The report states that 7,314,350 faithful participated total. The following years, the number of faithful who participated varied: almost six million in 2014, 3.2 million in 2015, and less than 3 million from 2017 onward.
The year with the fewest number of faithful participating in events with the Holy Father was in 2020, when Vatican City and the rest of the world almost entirely shut down due to COVID-19. Only 102,850 faithful total participated in events with the Holy Father that year.
In comparison, more faithful participated in events with the Holy Father within the first four months of 2025 than in the whole of 2020. In total for this year, 262,820 were recorded present at liturgical celebrations, general audiences, special audiences, and Angelus addresses. These numbers came almost exclusively from January and February.
There were no recordings of participations in Angelus addresses, liturgical celebrations, and general audiences for March and April of 2025 since Pope Francis was hospitalized in mid-February and was not released from the hospital until March 23. Throughout April, he made a few brief, unscheduled appearances in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Square.
While in the hospital, he continued to write Angelus addresses, though he did not deliver them in person. The Holy See Press Office continued to publish the addresses online.
In April of this year, 70 people participated in special audiences with Pope Francis. The last person to have a special audience with him was U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Easter Sunday. During the brief meeting, Pope Francis gave Vance three Easter eggs for his children, a blessed rosary, and a Vatican tie, according to EWTN Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, expressed gratitude for meeting the pope and stated that he prays for his health.
The pope passed away the next morning, on Easter Monday. Speaking to reporters following the news of the pope’s passing, Vance said it was a gift to have been able to meet with him.
“When I saw him, I didn’t know that he had less than 24 hours still on this earth,” Vance said, according to CBS. “I think it was a great blessing.”
He praised Pope Francis as a great pastor, and later added, “I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day, because I did and I do.”
The total number of faithful who participated in these four types of events with Pope Francis throughout his pontificate, which began in March 2013 and ended April 21, 2025, was 34,953,276.
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