Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture (Rome, 15-18 February 2025)
PRESS NOTE
The Catholic Church is celebrating the 25th Jubilee of history, for which the Holy Father Francis has chosen the theme of Hope. The Holy Year is organized also through a calendar of themed events, among which the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, to be held in Rome from 15 to 18 February 2025, is prominent.
The Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture is inspired by the capacity that Pope Francis recognizes in the arts and culture, to “dream new versions of the world, to introduce novelty into history”. Therefore, the Holy See Dicastery for Culture and Education invites all those who, through their commitment to art and culture, can contribute to bringing hope, to live this experience of fraternity and spirituality.
The Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture will begin on Saturday 15 February, with the international meeting “Sharing hope – Horizons for Cultural Heritage”, organized in collaboration with the Vatican Museums. The heads of some of the world’s most prestigious artistic institutions and museums will gather to explore new languages and strategies for enhancing and transmitting religious and artistic heritage. Their dialogue will lead to the signing of an educational Manifesto on the transmission of the cultural code of religions.
On the same day, at 18.00, there will be the inauguration of the exhibition space Conciliazione 5, located on the street of the same name, which leads pilgrims to Saint Peter’s Basilica. The programme, entrusted for 2025 to the curator Cristiana Perrella, will focus on the commission of contemporary art projects to international artists, which will take place throughout the year, on the theme of Hope. It will begin with portraits of the Regina Coeli prison community: created by the artist Yan Pei-Ming, they will be exhibited in the Conciliazione 5 space and projected on the facade of the same institute.
Two events are planned for Sunday 16 February: at 10.00, the celebration of the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Basilica, open to all and in particular to those who work in the arts and in culture; from 20.00, an evocative White Night at Saint Peter’s Basilica, exceptionally open for a visit that will invite contemplation and spiritual reflection.
On Monday 17 February, the Holy Father will go to the Cinecittà cinema studios – the first time for a pontiff – for an evocative moment of high content value. In the spirit of the Jubilee, Pope Francis will meet a delegation of artists and workers in the sphere of culture at Cinecittà, to whom he will address his message. The initiative is realized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Italian Republic and Cinecittà SpA.
There will be no lack of reflections on the future of cultural heritage – with the meeting “Artisans of Hope”, reserved to representatives of Catholic cultural centres and international bodies engaged in the promotion of culture – and special attention to contemporary art forms such as visual poetry, the protagonist of the exhibition “Global Visual Poetry”, curated by Raffaella Perna and housed in the premises of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
In the days of the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, the participants will be invited to pass through the Holy Door.
The Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture invites participants to see art and culture as special tools for promoting dialogue, inclusion and hope. Through the celebration of beauty and creativity, it is intended to be an opportunity for reflection and broad appeal so that individual aspirations and research can be reconnected to collective ones, cooperating to build a more just society.
ACCREDITATION PROCEDURE
Journalists and media operators who wish to participate must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at: press.vatican.va/accreditamenti.
