From 25 to 26 September 2025, the Meeting of Bishops and National Directors for Catechesis, organised by the Section for Catechesis of the CCEE Commission for Evangelisation and Culture, was held in Rome on the theme «“Let us go happily to the house of the Lord.” Catechesis, Formation and Pilgrimage». The initiative offered those responsible for catechesis in the various Bishops’ Conferences of Europe an opportunity for listening, discussion and shared reflection, in the context of the 2025 Jubilee.
The works began on 25 September with a moment of prayer led by Rev. Carl-Mario SULTANA, Secretary of the Section for Catechesis. This was followed by a speech from Rev. Antonio AMMIRATI, CCEE General Secretary. Rev. Ammirati welcomed participants to the new CCEE headquarters, which had been moved from St Gallen to Rome with the aim of fostering dialogue with the Holy See and give new pastoral and ecumenical impetus, especially in the context of the Jubilee and the Synod. He presented the history and function of the current headquarters at the Palazzo Maffei Marescotti, now the “home of the European bishops in Rome”, to be experienced as a place of encounter, discussion and fellowship. In relation to the theme of the meeting, he recalled the words of Pope Francis that pilgrimage is a journey of discovery and becomes a sign of synodality, that is, walking together without leaving anyone behind. Finally, with the words of Pope Leo XIV, Rev. Ammirati reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to be a leaven of unity, communion and fraternity: a missionary Church, open to the world, which proclaims Christ and works with everyone – Christians, believers of other religions and people of good will – to build a peaceful society.
Thereafter, H.E. Msgr. Đuro HRANIĆ, Head of the Section for Catechesis, sent a cordial greeting to the participants via video link, expressing regret for his absence due to injury, but assuring them of his spiritual closeness. He emphasised that the theme of the meeting, «“Let us go happily to the house of the Lord. Catechesis, Formation and Pilgrimage» is very relevant in the ecclesial context of the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee, reaffirming that catechesis is a journey of faith and hope. “We are gathered here in Rome as those responsible for catechesis in our European countries, called and sent by the Lord as pilgrims of hope to the new generations”, added Archbishop Hranić, recalling the centrality of Christian witness, expressed in daily fidelity to the Gospel through prayer, discernment and service.
In the afternoon, the working session, moderated by Rev. Carl-Mario SULTANA, was devoted to presentations of reports from the various Bishops’ Conferences, with a particular focus on significant experiences and good practices in the training of catechists within their respective European countries.
On Friday, 26 September, participants celebrated Holy Mass in the Church of San Giovanni della Pigna, presided over by H.E. Msgr. Zbigņevs STANKEVICS, Archbishop of Riga and President of the CCEE Commission for Evangelisation and Culture.
The last working session focused on the topic of “Pilgrimage”. The first theme “Pilgrimage in the Jubilee: Historical and Theological Aspects” was entrusted to H.E. Msgr. Franz-Peter TEBARTZ VAN ELST, Delegate of the Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelisation in the World of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, who offered a reflection on the Jubilee years and their significance and value for the whole Church as well as for humanity. Archbishop Tebartz Van Elst, who is also responsible for organising the Jubilee for Catechists, which takes place during the same days in Rome, recalled in his speech that: “The aim of the Holy Year is to call on believers to renew their faith and deepen their relationship with God. An important part of this is therefore the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence, i.e., the forgiveness of temporal punishment for sins”.
The final address was offered by Sr. Rebecca NAZZARO, MDR, Director of the Pilgrimage Pastoral Office at the Vicariate of Rome – Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, who explored in depth the theme “Pilgrimage as a Field of Catechesis”, outlining how the journey to holy places can become an authentic formative and spiritual experience for the faithful, and emphasised the importance of art in the search for God and in the transmission of the faith.