The Jubilee of the Holy See focuses on the Vatican’s global influence through its diplomatic relations with other nations.
PRAYER
O God, who set your Church
on the rock of Peter’s faith
and willed that his Easter witness
would continue in the world
through the Successor of Peter,
grant that his may always be
an apostolic voice that speaks to all
of mercy and justice, love and peace,
truth not lies, life not death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
Amen.
(Composed by Archbishop Mark Coleridge)
TEACHING
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
“The Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes, ‘holy chair’) is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Roman Catholic Church. It is also recognized by other subjects of international law as a sovereign entity, headed by the Pope, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.”
From Pope Francis’ Apostolic Constitution, Praedicate Evangelium, on the Roman Curia and its Service to the Church in the World (2022):
“II. To carry out effectively the pastoral mission of solicitude for the entire Church that the Roman Pontiff has received from Christ, her Lord and Pastor (cf. Jn 21:15ff.), and to preserve and foster the relationship existing between the Petrine ministry and the ministry of all the Bishops, the Pope, “in exercising his supreme, full and immediate authority over the universal Church, employs the various departments of the Roman Curia, which act in his name and by his authority for the good of the Churches and in the service of the sacred pastors”. The Curia is thus at the service of the Pope and of the Bishops, who, “together with Peter’s successor… govern the house of the living God”. The Curia exercises this service to the Bishops in their particular Churches with due respect for their responsibilities as successors of the Apostles.
“7. The face of Christ is reflected in the varied faces of those of his disciples who place their charisms at the service of the Church’s mission. Consequently, those who serve in the Curia are chosen from Bishops, priests, deacons, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and lay men and women outstanding for their spiritual life, solid pastoral experience, simplicity of life and love for the poor, spirit of communion and service, competence in the matters entrusted to them, and ability to discern the signs of the times. For this reason, care and attention must be given to the selection and training of personnel, as well as the organization of work and the personal and professional growth of every individual.”
TESTIMONY
“A Jubilee Year begins by refocusing the God-given identity of the whole Church; and the Jubilee of the Holy See begins by refocusing the God-given mission of the Holy See. We start with the Apostle Peter who was chosen, formed and commissioned by Jesus in a unique way. Beyond failure and betrayal, he was recommissioned by the Risen Lord.
“He wasn’t the first witness of the Resurrection: that honour belongs to Mary Magdalene (cf. John 20:1-18). But Peter was the first public witness of the Resurrection, standing up before the world on Pentecost Sunday to proclaim Jesus risen from the dead (cf. Acts 2:14-36). That public witness to the Resurrection remains the heart of the Petrine ministry and all that the Holy See does in support of the Successor of Peter.
“Much else has grown around the papacy through the centuries, including the large and complex institution called the Holy See. It has diplomatic relations with many states and representation to various world bodies. It has many agencies which help govern the Church around the world and relations with the world outside the Church. As the Successor of Peter, the Pope doesn’t deal just with the affairs of the Church but also with the affairs of the world. To do that, he needs help; and that’s why we have not just the Pope but the Holy See around him.
“Sometimes people refer to the Holy See as the Vatican. But the term ‘the Vatican’ refers only to the small area occupied by the Pope and the large church built over the tomb of St Peter, the agencies of the Holy See and the micro-state that is based there, largely to guarantee the freedom and independence of the Pope, which have been so often threatened through time.
“The Successor of Peter is to be free in his global witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, which is the ground of true hope not just for Christians but for all. The whole panoply of the Holy See, now as in the past, exists to safeguard that and to strengthen the communion which flows from it.
“Therefore, in this Jubilee Year, we go back as pilgrims of hope to the very heart of it all. We remember that the See of Rome is holy, not because its people are impeccable, but because of what God has done in the world through the witness of the Apostles who shed their blood in Rome and of the Successors of Peter, the Bishops of Rome, who on Easter Sunday stand on the balcony of St Peter’s and proclaim to the world that ‘Christ is risen, he is truly risen’.”
– Archbishop Mark Coleridge (Archdiocese of Brisbane)
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For the Holy See, that it may be a shining example to the world of good governance.
We pray to the Lord.
For all members of the Church, that they may live out their role as missionary disciples, and in doing so, contribute to the well-being of the entire Church.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Apostolic Constitution, Praedicate Evangelium, on the Roman Curia and its Service to the Church in the World (Pope Francis, 2022).
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