CHURCH: JUBILEE AND LEO XIV BOOST THE MARKET OF RELIGIOUS ITEMS DEVOTIO: SUCCESS FOR THE PILGRIM'S KIT, POPE-THEMED GADGETS COMING SOON

Bologna, 28^th October 2025

The Jubilee year, Pope Francis’ death, and the election of Leo XIV gave a major boost to the religious goods market in Italy. Millions of pilgrims and devotees have been able to choose from a wide range of devotional items, gadgets, and souvenirs, even though attendance for the Holy Year was lower than expected and sales results did not reward all the items produced under the official Vatican license. This is according to "Devotio 2026", the fifth edition of the world's largest trade fair and the only one in Italy dedicated to products and services for the religious sector. The exhibition will take place from January 31 to February 3, 2026, at BolognaFiere. “It is now two months before the end of the Jubilee, and the religious goods sector is growing, in part because of the coincidence with events related to the two popes,” confirms Valentina Zattini, CEO of Conference Service and Exhibition Manager. “Devotional products made in Italy have always been highly appreciated throughout the world, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and Catholic countries in Asia and Africa.”

One of the most successful Holy Year gadgets has certainly been the “Pilgrim’s Kit” — a practical backpack containing a hat, a water bottle, a rosary, pins, and other items, all strictly bearing the official Jubilee logo. There have also been positive results for liturgical vestments, sacred objects, and prayer booklets, as well as for devotional paintings and holy cards. At the end of April, there was a strong demand for souvenirs featuring Pope Francis, following his passing and funeral in St. Peter’s Square. From May onward, the global demand for products dedicated to Leo XIV surged. “At first, several items without the Vatican license for the use of the new pope’s image appeared on the market,” explains Zattini, “but now official devotional articles and souvenirs are finally available. During the next edition of Devotio, we will present all the latest products to the global market and it will be especially interesting to see how the U.S. market responds to items dedicated to the first American pope.”

“Devotio 2026” will take place, for the first time, in a single large hall (about 15,000 m²) at BolognaFiere. So far, the presence of more than 200 exhibitors has been confirmed, coming from Italy and 18 other countries. They will showcase many different devotional products, liturgical items, church furnishings, and technologies. Not to be missed crucifixes, rosaries, sacred images, statues and Nativity scenes, bells, incense, candles, stained glass and mosaics, chalices and ciboria, liturgical vestments, sacred art, audio systems, donation collection systems, church furniture, and clergy clothing. During the exhibition, there will also be a rich cultural program focused on the theme “Liturgical Space: Place of Faith, Cultural Heritage”, organized by the exhibition’s Scientific Committee in collaboration with the Fondazione Centro Studi per l’Architettura Sacra “Cardinale Giacomo Lercaro”. There is a calendar full of events. Among them: round tables, conferences, exhibitor workshops, exhibitions, and initiatives in the city on topics such as sacred art, architecture, liturgy, restoration, and liturgical music.

“Devotio 2026” is organized by Conference Service. The exhibition has received the patronage of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; the National Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage and Religious Buildings of the Italian Bishops’ Conference; the National Liturgical Office of the Italian Bishops’ Conference; the Church of Bologna; FACI – Federation of Clergy Associations in Italy; FIUDAC/S – Italian Federation of Diocesan Unions of Church Custodians; and the Association of Italian Ecclesiastical Museums. The Scientific Committee is coordinated by Claudia Manenti, Director of the Fondazione Centro Studi per l’architettura sacra “Cardinale Giacomo Lercaro”. Among the partners of the event there are San Fedele Cultural Foundation and the Italian Province of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master. The digital partner is the marketplace ereligio.com, while media partners are Edizioni San Paolo, Emil Edizioni (D’A, Bomboniera), and Chiesa Oggi.

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