Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome and extraordinary commissioner for the 2025 Jubilee event, presents the Italian government’s decree on interventions in the capital to welcome pilgrims and tourists in a sustainable and inclusive way.
Redaction (20/01/2023 09:36, Gaudium Press) In 2025, Rome will experience another Jubilee, an event of faith that is an ancient tradition among Catholics, when the Holy Father grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful. The preparations for the event are already set, and on January 12, the Holy See received the visit of the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, Extraordinary Commissioner for the Holy Year, who presented the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers on the works necessary to welcome pilgrims and tourists. Before attending the presentation of the decree, the mayor participated in a private audience with Pope Francis.
Gualtieri referred to the audience with the pope as “an exciting encounter.” The conversation lasted about an hour and he presented to the pope the details of the Italian government’s decree on interventions in the capital to welcome pilgrims and tourists during the Jubilee.
On Twitter, the mayor wrote: “It was a private meeting in which we talked about many things and also an opportunity to talk about the Jubilee. It was an honor to share with the Pope the plan of the works that will be carried out for the Jubilee of 2025. Rome responds to the affection of its Bishop and thanks him for his tireless commitment to peace and the weakest.”
To reporters, Gualtieri recalled that “the Pope loves Rome very much, and reminds us that it is a unique city in the world.” The mayor also reported that they talked about peace, social policies, and environmental challenges, highlighting the words heard from Francis: “This Jubilee puts hope at the center.
As Extraordinary Commissioner for the Holy Year, Gualtieri emphasized that the program is the result of confrontations with many issues and dialogue with the Holy See. “We have a great responsibility and at the same time an opportunity to make interventions consistent with the spirit desired by the Pope. A spiritual meaning that makes us doubly responsible, both with the pilgrims and with our city, to make it more modern, inclusive and sustainable.”
Preparations for the Jubilee
Mantovano, undersecretary of the Rome City Hall, pointed out that “the Jubilee is an event of faith linked to a secular tradition in our civilization and that the Jubilee pilgrimage is not a marginal event.” Citing the Via Francigena and the Way of St. James as protected paths that called for peace and faith, he recalled that Europe came into being around the paths of pilgrims.
Speaking about the plan, he explained that for the 2025 Jubilee, works are planned throughout the city, including the redevelopment of the square in front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran and the square in front of Termini Station; the improvement of mobility infrastructure; the extraordinary maintenance of the main road network; the redevelopment and restoration of cultural and urban heritage and of complexes of high historical-architectural value; the enhancement of sites and buildings of historical interest and archaeological routes; works in parks, historic gardens, villas and fountains; and the digitalization of cultural services.
The redevelopment of public space includes several projects in the Vatican area, such as the construction of a tunnel in Piazza Pia; the redevelopment of Via Ottaviano-San Pietro and the pedestrian-only streets of St. Peter’s Station; the redevelopment of the tunnel in Via Gregorio VII and the restoration of the walls of Via Porta Angelica. Projects in the Welcoming and Participation sphere also include the construction of a youth hostel in Santa Maria della Pietà, a specialized center for the disabled, a welcome center for the homeless, 11 water distribution centers, and the increase of public toilets.
The undersecretary also stated that “alongside the works aimed at improving the Jubilee sites, making the city more welcoming and allowing the major events to take place, the program of works also invests in the areas farthest from the center and in the areas most directly affected by the pilgrimages, and wants to offer the world a sign of how Rome and Italy are making the Jubilee message of hope and inclusion their own, and are directly committed to promoting welcome and listening.
Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato