Fisichella: “The Jubilee sees hope as the essential content of life”

“Hope” and “essential” … these  two words  link the mottos of the next Jubilee 2025, “Pilgrims of Hope” and the theme of the 2024 Rimini Meeting, “If we are not looking for the essential, then what are we looking for?”.

Yesterday in Rimini, His Excellency Archbishop  Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, offered  a reflection on the central themes of the next Holy Year. 

He said: “The motto of this year's Meeting is particularly profound and timely.  If we are not capable of seeking and finding the essential in life, then we are left with only the ephemeral and a sense of the meaninglessness of life. The next Jubilee responds to this scenario and proposes hope as an essential element of personal life".

The Archbishop was interviewed by the director of Tv2000, Vincenzo Morgante, who moderated a discussion panel. Also taking part in the round table were Roberto Gualtieri, extraordinary commissioner for the Jubilee 2025 and Mayor of Rome, and taking part online were Antonello Aurigemma, president of the Lazio Regional Council, Marco Girardo, director of Avvenire, Paolo Giuntarelli, director of the regional directorate for Tourism, Cinema, Audiovisual and Sport of the Lazio Region and Danilo Zardin, professor of Modern History at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

Zardin curated the exhibition dedicated to the Holy Years entitled "Jubilees: Forgiveness that restores life", which is on display at the Meeting this week. Among the panels telling the story of the Jubilees, are a copy of the first Bull of the Jubilee of 1300 and a copy of the recent Bull of the Jubilee year 2025, Spes non confundit. 

"We always speak of faith and charity, but never of hope," underlined Archbishop Fisichella. "But we believers live by hope, which together with faith and charity, constitutes our lifestyle. If we want to be able to proclaim the faith today, we must clothe that announcement in a language that speaks of hope. But is it true that ‘hope does not disappoint’? Believing this involves a personal and community journey, and that is why we are ‘pilgrims’. We believers are responsible for Hope."

For the mayor of Rome, Gualtieri, the commitment of the institutions, in trying to make the city of Rome capable of welcoming the millions of pilgrims who are expected in the best possible way, can be seen as a "concrete sign of hope."

He said: "For the Jubilee we expect an average of more than 100,000 people per day in our city.  The Holy Year is an extraordinary opportunity for the spiritual and universal function of Rome to be seen and for that reason we have decided to tackle in depth many chronic problems of the city  One of the most important works is that of the new Piazza Pia which will create a sort of embrace between Rome and the Holy See, giving citizens back two large public squares".

Aurigemma and Giuntarelli, present as representatives of the Lazio Region, highlighted how the excitement for the Jubilee, and the commitment to welcoming pilgrims, also involves Lazio region and the whole  of Italy. Those who arrive in the country for the Holy Year will be able to discover the beauties of the Region, but also the new pilgrimage routes and paths that will be ready for the next Jubilee.

The message for everyone therefore is, ‘See you in Rome for the Holy Year 2025’.