Pope Francis calls the catacombs a sign of hope

By Sr. Francine-Marie Cooper, ISSM

During a meeting in the Vatican on Friday morning with participants of the Plenary Meeting of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, Pope Francis acknowledged that the “Christian catacombs will naturally be one of the most significant destinations” for pilgrims during the Jubilee year.

The Holy Father welcomed the group and expressed his gratitude for the work of the former President of the Pontifical Commission, Cardinal Ravasi, and for the commitment of the current President, Monsignor Pasquale Iacobone, who has been leading the Commission since 2022.

Pope Francis thanked the Commission for its initiatives to make the catacombs better known and understood.

He mentioned in particular the creation of “the Catacombs Days, with the involvement of families and children in educational workshops; the presentation of the various catacombs both on television programs and on social media; the awarding of scholarships; the annual archaeological research projects in collaboration with various universities.”

Pilgrims of Hope along the catacomb paths

“The theme of the Jubilee, ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’ finds a unique and evocative expression precisely in the catacomb paths,” Pope Francis pointed out.

“In the catacombs, everything speaks of hope: of life beyond death, of deliverance from dangers and death itself by God's work,” he added.

The many paintings on the underground walls show symbols and images of hope, plants, gardens and animals, depictions of paradise, the Holy Father said.

And he reminded those present that the catacombs are ‘cemeteries’, which means ‘dormitories’, that “,” testify to the Christian's expectation, the hope in the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the flesh.”

Visiting the catacombs gives pilgrims “the sense of Christian expectation and hope; it reminds us that we are all pilgrims, journeying toward the encounter with God, who in the Risen Christ calls us to share his bliss and peace,” Pope Francis explained.

Plans for the jubilee year

Memorials and former tombs of the Martyrs are scattered along the catacomb paths, the Holy father noted. He expressed that he is “very pleased with the proposal to highlight the tombs of the Martyrs in view of the Jubilee, offering them to pilgrims as significant stops on the visitation routes.”

Before the backdrop of present-day persecutions, the pilgrimage to the tombs of the martyrs “confronts us with the courageous example of these Christians, always relevant, and invites us to pray for the many brothers and sisters who today suffer persecution for their faith in Christ,” Pope Francis said.

He urged the Commission to carry their service forward with competence and passion. And he concluded: “It is a service to memory and to the future; to the roots and to evangelization. Because the message of the catacombs speaks to everyone, to pilgrims and even to visitors far from a faith experience.”