ROME (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics poured into a vast field on Rome’s outskirts Saturday for the weekend highlight of the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year: an evening vigil, outdoor slumber party and morning Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV that marks his first big encounter with the next generation of Catholics.

Misting trucks and water cannons spritzed the young people to try to keep them cool, as temperatures neared 30C (85F) with hours to go before Leo arrived for the vigil. But the mood was festive, with young people dancing to a lineup of a dozen different bands or lying on their tarps where they had set up camp for the night.

“It is something spiritual, that you can experience only every 25 years," said Francisco Michel, a pilgrim from Mexico. “As a young person, having

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