Pope Francis made a visit on Thursday to one of the largest prison complexes in Italy, opening a special "Holy Door" for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, in what the Vatican said was the first such action by a Catholic pontiff.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Tuesday opens the 2025 Holy Year, kicking off a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and test the pope's stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them.

"I wanted all of us, inside or out, to have an opportunity to throw open the doors of our hearts and understand that hope does not disappoint."

Amid security worries, millions of pilgrims are expected to descend on Rome for a Jubilee Year of major Catholic celebrations throughout 2025. Here are the highlights.

Pope Francis urged inmates to never give up hope as he inaugurated the Vatican’s Jubilee Year at the high-security Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome on Thursday.

Pope Francis inaugurated his Holy Year at Rome’s main prison on Thursday, bringing a message of hope to inmates and involving them in the Catholic Church’s once every quarter-century celebration that is expected to bring about 32 million pilgrims to Rome.

The pope encouraged inmates to participate in the church's celebration that happens every 25 years, where people travel to Rome on a pilgrimage.

Pope Francis, marking the Holy Year of the Catholic Church on Thursday, opened the symbolic Holy Door at a prison in Rome, offering a message of hope and forgiveness to inmates. The 88-year-old Catholic pontiff told the prisoners during the ceremony not to lose hope.