ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV has called on all Christians to work together toward the celebration of 2033, when the Catholic Church will mark an extraordinary Jubilee Year commemorating 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The pope expressed this hope during a June 30 audience with an Orthodox delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, who traveled to Rome for the June 29 feast of Sts. Peter and Paul and joined Pope Leo for prayer at the tomb of St. Peter in the crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of the papal Mass for the feast day.
“Your presence amongst us expresses the fraternal closeness of our sister Church in Constantinople and of its shepherd and guide, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch,” the pope told the delegation June 30.
“I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for this visit, as well as for your personal commitment and that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to promoting the holy cause of Christian unity,” he said.
Looking ahead to 2033
Pope Leo used the meeting to look ahead to 2033, when the Church will observe an Jubilee year marking two millennia since the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. He expressed hope that the milestone could become a shared moment for all Christians.
“May the journey towards the celebration of the second millennium of the Redemption in 2033 be undertaken together by all the Christian denominations of the world, rediscovering the gift and the call to be witnesses to the Risen One,” he said.
The pope’s remarks build on a vision he first laid out publicly during his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon in November when he told Christian leaders in Turkey that he hoped they might gather in Jerusalem in 2033 to mark the anniversary together — specifically in the Cenacle, the traditional site of the Last Supper, where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and which is also venerated as the site of Pentecost, according to the Holy See Press Office.
Pope Leo pointed to last year’s commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea as an example of an anniversary that was marked jointly by Catholics, Orthodox and other Christian communities. The pope took part in an ecumenical prayer service hosted by Patriarch Bartholomew on Nov. 28 at Iznik, Turkey, the site of ancient Nicaea, during his apostolic visit to the country.
A communion among those ‘who share faith in God’
“This celebration offered an eloquent testimony to the communion that already exists amongst those who share faith in God, the Father of all, and who believe in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Son of God, and in the Holy Spirit, who inspires us and leads us to the fullness of truth and unity,” the pope told the delegation.
“That commemorative event made clear that the Nicene Creed must be the foundation and guiding principle of this ecumenical journey, offering the model of true unity within legitimate diversity: Unity in the Trinity, Trinity in Unity,” he added.
Preparations for 2033 are already underway in some parts of the Catholic world. The Archdiocese of Denver last year launched a nine-year novena leading up to the Jubilee.
During the audience, the pope also underlined the need for greater cooperation among Christians in the face of today’s challenges, including global conflicts, new technological challenges and care for creation.
Christians’ shared responsibility
Pope Leo said Christians’ shared “responsibility for the life and dignity of every human being, beginning with the youngest and most needy, is the criterion that will determine our present and eternal destiny.”
“In an age marked by wars and growing polarization, as well as cultural and social divisions, Christians — reconciled amongst themselves and united in their profession of the one faith — are called to be a credible sign of peace, making a decisive contribution to the efforts of all men and women of good will to build peace,” he said.
“Moreover, in the current situation, it is not only the credibility of the Christian message that is at stake, but the very future of humanity.”
Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
