Yesterday, Pope Francis took one of the most important steps of his pontificate by presenting the bull that officially calls for the next Jubilee of 2025, a monumental event that is celebrated every quarter of a century and that he hopes will bring 32 million willing pilgrims to Rome. to travel to the tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in search of the jubilee indulgence, that is, forgiveness for confessed serious sins.
As tradition dictates, the Pontiff delivered a copy of the pontifical bull to the archpriests of the four Vatican basilicas in Rome and to the representatives of the Church in the world. The text, baptized Spes non confundits (hope does not disappoint), asks Christians to transmit hope, the theme to which the jubilee is dedicated, with concrete facts. Among them, Francis asks in the bull that this year work be done to create “spaces for negotiation aimed at lasting peace,” at a time when the world is “submerged in the tragedy of war.” “The demand for peace challenges us all and it is urgent that concrete projects be carried out,” the Pontiff assures in the document.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio also proposes to the governments of the world that during the jubilee year they take on initiatives that restore hope for prisoners, such as “forms of amnesty or remission of punishment aimed at helping people to regain self-confidence.” themselves and in society.” In addition, it asks the richest nations to condemn the debt of countries that cannot pay it, calls again for the abolition of the death penalty or suggests that, with the money used for weapons and other military expenses, a “global fund” to end hunger and for the development of the poorest countries.
“Indeed, we lack hope,” declared the Pontiff yesterday during his homily in St. Peter’s Basilica. “It is needed by creation, seriously wounded and disfigured by human selfishness; It is needed by the people and nations who face tomorrow full of worries and fears, while injustices continue with arrogance, the poor are discarded, wars sow death, the last remain at the bottom of the list and the dream of a fraternal world runs the risk of appearing like a mirage,” he continued, in a tone in line with his pontificate.
The jubilee will begin, as tradition dictates, on December 24 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and will close with its closure on January 6, 2026. The last time a jubilee took place was in 2000, during the end of John Paul II’s pontificate, when the Polish pope led the Church into the third millennium. Much has changed in the Church since then, and also in Rome. The reading of the bull marks the preparations for an event that also involves a profound renovation of its streets and monuments.
These months Rome has been collapsed by works, with a budget of 4,000 million euros to make it more accessible to visitors after years of decline. For example, areas near the Vatican are being pedestrianized or a metro stop is being built in the central Venice Square, something that has led to traffic diversions in a city that already suffers from serious mobility problems. The big question is whether they will arrive on time, since at the moment only 2 of the 231 projects contemplated have been able to be completed due to the delays caused by the fall of Mario Draghi’s government. “Essential projects will be completed on time,” promised the mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, during a press conference with correspondents. Faced with the expected avalanche of tourists and pilgrims, many Romans are already thinking about moving for a while and renting out their house to pilgrims.