Making great strides towards Jubilee 2025

Making great strides towards Jubilee 2025. On Tuesday 9th May a press conference was held to present both the objectives already achieved and the projects in the pipeline for the jubilee year. In the Press Room of the Holy See, in front of journalists from all over the world, H.E. Mons. Rino Fisichella and Mons. Graham Bell offered a summary of the preparatory phase and a first round-up of news concerning the next ordinary Jubilee.

The Holy See initiated relations some months ago with the Italian government, the Lazio Region and Rome City Council, in order to guarantee the best possible welcome for the millions of pilgrims who will arrive in Rome for the occasion of the jubilee. Planning and operational groups involving the Dicastery and the Italian government are meeting regularly to discuss the implementation of the structural works that the city needs and the resolution of some of the main problems associated with receiving visitors. On 19th April a bilateral meeting was held with the government in the rooms of the Apostolic Palaces.  

As regards the part closely linked to the jubilee programme itself, work is being undertaken by four preparatory committees, a technical committee and subcommittees for various areas. These include the Pastoral Committee, the Cultural Committee, the Committee for Communication and the Ecumenical Committee. In addition, two ad hoc committees have on one occasion already brought together representatives from the Italian dioceses and delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences.

Among the cultural initiatives that are to form an integral part of the jubilee programme, there is the exhibition of masterpieces by El Greco, on display in the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone from 1st September to 8th October 2023. This involves a “theological triptych”, consisting of the Baptism, Christ Carrying the Cross, and The Saviour of the World, which are among the most famous works by the Renaissance artist.

Following 2023, a year whose focus is on the rediscovery of the Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council, 2024 will be dedicated to prayer, at the request of the Pope. In the near future, therefore, the “Notebooks of the Council” will be joined by “Notes on Prayer”, tools made available by the Dicastery to help put the relationship with the Lord back in the centre, learning each day to pray, sustained by the Christian tradition.

The official hymn of the 2025 Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope”, with words by Prof. Pierangelo Squeri, was set to music by maestro Francesco Meneghello of Mantova. The international competition for the hymn, won by Meneghello, featured 270 participants from 38 different countries.

The website for the jubilee has been active in nine languages since 10th May, via the link www.iubilaeum2025.va. It will be possible to register from September by accessing the appropriate platform and, once the data requested has been entered, a free, personalised “Pilgrim’s Card” will be received. This is required in order to participate in the events and to organise pilgrimages to the Holy Door. For a small contribution, it will also be possible to obtain the “Pilgrim’s Card” with Services, which entitles the user to discounts and special offers regarding transport, refreshments and accommodation throughout the pilgrimage. Social media pages and the new app, iubilaeum2025, will likewise be active and available from the coming autumn.

Anyone wishing to discover the official start and end dates of the next Jubilee will need to be present on 9th May 2024, the Feast of the Ascension, when the Pope will promulgate the Bull. What is certain is that the Holy Year will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica, some time during December 2024. The calendar of the Jubilee Year, already published on the website via the link https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/pellegrinaggio/calendario-giubileo.html, gives only the dates of the “major Jubilee events”, and does not indicate the hundreds of other Jubilee occasions that are to involve dioceses, parish groups, individual associations and individual pilgrims.

The 1st June this year will see the inauguration of the Pilgrim Centre - Info Point, based at Via della Conciliazione 7. From the start this will be a point of reference open to both tourists and pilgrims seeking information concerning the Jubilee Year, how to participate, the latest news, voluntary opportunities and the organisation of pilgrimages.