The film starts with a still image of Pope Pius XII and then cuts to a shot of a railway platform where two banners can be seen: 'Diocese of Nottingham' and 'St Hugh of Lincoln'. The group from Nottingham was led by the Bishop of Nottingham, Dr Edward Ellis. We see views taken from the train travelling through Switzerland and Italy including a brief stop at Saint-Maurice and a longer stop at Domodossola over the border into Italy. At a station lunch bags(?) are seen lined up on tables and two Italian police officers walk through the crowd.
An intertitle, 'The Eternal City' announces the party's arrival at Rome, and we are treated to a guided tour of the city. We visit Trinita dei Monti church at the top of the Spanish Steps, the Arch Constantine, the Coliseum, and the Castel Sant Angelo.
The visitors then complete their pilgrimages by visiting the four churches: St Peter's, (where the pilgrims had an audience with Pope Pius XII according to newspaper accounts, although this is not seen in the film), St Paul's, Saint Mary Major and St John Lateran. Having completed their prayers at each basilica they visit the Catacombe di San Callisto. There is also an inter-title referring to the Beatification of Anna-Marie Jahouvey.
The film ends with shots through the window of a passenger plane as the filmmaker returns to England.
An Alan Turner film
In 1949 Pope Pius XII decelare 1950 a holy year. The great jubilee was to begin at Christmas 1949 and to conclude at Christmas 1950. A complete indulgence was granted to those faithful who visited the four major basilicas: Saint Peter; St. Paul outside the Walls; Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Saint John Lateran and undertake a series of prayers there. Pope Pius defined the goal for the Holy Year 1950: to do penance and to pray for the return to Christ of all those who were separated from him.