As every five years, the John Paul II Vatican Foundation is organising its anniversary celebrations in Rome. The 45th Jubilee will be held from 19 to 22 October 2026. In addition to concerts, a symposium, a film screening, a lecture and shared prayer, the programme also includes a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
“The anniversary celebrations are an opportunity to strengthen the international community of the Foundation and to look together towards the future of the institution. They are also a moment of shared prayer and gratitude towards all benefactors who, for many years, have enabled us to carry out numerous projects and continue the mission entrusted to us by our founder, Saint John Paul II,” says Msgr. Paweł Ptasznik, President of the Foundation and long‑time close collaborator of the Polish Pope.
The John Paul II Vatican Foundation is a non-profit organisation of the Holy See. It was established by papal decree on 16 October 1981. Today it is the oldest of the several foundations operated by the Vatican. In accordance with the statutory mission entrusted to it by its founder, Saint John Paul II, for 45 years it has continuously supported students from around the world through numerous scholarship programmes, cared for Christian culture, science and art, assisted thousands of pilgrims arriving in the Eternal City, and documented and deepened the legacy of the pontificate of John Paul II.
A work spanning four pontificates
From the very beginning, the Foundation has organised its anniversary celebrations in Rome every five years. All popes since Saint John Paul II have taken part in them. During the last Jubilee marking the 40th anniversary, the several‑hundred‑member community of the Foundation was received at the Vatican by Pope Francis, who also met with the Foundation on its 35th anniversary. Pope Benedict XVI did so during the 25th and 30th anniversaries, and earlier the founder himself, Saint John Paul II, met with the Foundation several times. On each occasion, the popes addressed special speeches to the John Paul II Vatican Foundation, expressing gratitude for its work, blessing its mission for the years ahead, and highlighting specific aspects of its activity.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said to the Foundation: “I ask you not to abandon this good work. May it continue to grow. May your joint efforts, supported by God’s help, continue to bear wonderful fruit,” and: “A work of particular importance is the assistance the Foundation provides to young people in obtaining education at various levels in different fields of knowledge.” To its benefactors he said: “Thanks to your spiritual and financial support, the Foundation continues its activity both in the field of culture and science, and in the social and pastoral sphere.”
In 2011, Benedict XVI added: “My dear friends, many achievements of the Foundation could be listed. Yet I would like to draw attention to one very important aspect, more significant than quick and visible results. Through the Foundation, spiritual unity has brought together thousands of people on different continents who not only support it materially, but form Circles of Friends, formative communities inspired by the teaching and example of John Paul II. They do not limit themselves to recalling the past with sentiment, but recognise the needs of the present, look to the future with concern and trust, and strive to permeate the world more deeply with the spirit of solidarity and fraternity.”
In 2015, Pope Francis said to the Foundation: “You offer a valuable contribution that allows the spiritual heritage of the holy Pope to enrich the Church and guide it through the coming years of history. I thank you especially for your help in educating young people. Saint John Paul II always loved young people deeply and was a pastor to them, and through your work you continue his charism and fatherly care.”
The Pope’s outstretched arms
“For the last four pontificates, our Foundation has promoted the dignity of the human person through concrete actions. We are not attached solely to the person of John Paul II, but in a changing reality we strive to realise those values of his pontificate that are universal for the world and the Church, and remain relevant today,” says Fr. Tomasz Podlewski, Director of Media and Events Office of the John Paul II Vatican Foundation. “One could say that the Foundation is the outstretched arms of John Paul II. We do not stop at memories. Love is expressed in action, and therefore, on behalf of the Vatican, we serve the Church through very concrete initiatives. We are guided by the thought from John Paul II’s first encyclical: the way of the Church is man,” adds Fr. Podlewski.
For many years, the Foundation has run its own student residence in Lublin, enabling students from various countries to undertake five‑year studies, providing their education, spiritual formation, accommodation and meals. So far, more than 1,100 graduates and several dozen PhDs have completed its scholarship programme in Poland. The Foundation also awards several annual scholarships for “JP2 Studies” organised by the Saint John Paul II Institute of Culture at the Angelicum in Rome. In addition, it sponsors numerous cultural, academic, film and artistic projects, and co‑organises papal competitions and mountain camps for young people.
A Pearl Drawn from the Crowd of the World
Among the activities of the Foundation, a special place is held by the Vatican Prize “Premio San Giovanni Paolo II”, which the Foundation has awarded since 2024 to a person or institution embodying the values promoted by Saint John Paul II. The laureate of the first edition was the John Paul II Centre for Justice and Peace in Uganda, founded in 2007 as a response to the encyclical Ecclesia in Africa. The institution combats social problems such as poverty, human rights violations, inequality, and violence against women and children. Last year’s laureate was Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Syria, kidnapped, tortured and miraculously saved from ISIS, who—drawing inspiration from the spirit of John Paul II’s interreligious meeting in Assisi—has for many years undertaken courageous efforts to promote peace between Christians and Muslims.
“In this way, each year we wish to bring forth a true pearl from the crowd of the world—an individual or institution, often little known, who in their own unique corner of the globe makes the world more beautiful, safer and better, because they draw inspiration from the teaching of the Polish Pope,” says Fr. Tomasz Podlewski, spokesperson of the Foundation.
An International and Intergenerational Family
“Representatives of all the Foundation’s dozens of Circles of Friends from several countries around the world have announced their participation, as well as Vatican hierarchs, cardinals and bishops from various continents associated with the Foundation’s mission, sponsors and supporters, and numerous representatives of the worlds of culture, science and art,” notes Msgr. Dariusz Giers, Administrative Director of the Foundation, responsible, among other things, for contacts with its Circles of Friends worldwide.
“We are grateful to God and to the Blessed Mother, and to the intercession of our Founder and Patron, Saint John Paul II, that for so many years we have been able to serve God and humanity in so many fields, and that our work has united so many people, nations and generations across the world. Aware that the great desire of Saint John Paul II—and at the same time an urgent and particularly relevant need of our times—remains the concern for peace in the world, we will celebrate the upcoming Jubilee under the motto: Totus Tuus, Regina Pacis—Totally Yours, Queen of Peace, confidently entrusting the needs of the Church and the world to the powerful intercession of the Mother of God, to whom our beloved John Paul II gave himself without reserve,” adds Msgr. Giers.
The Jubilee in Rome
We will begin the celebrations with Holy Mass and a meeting with Leo XIV, who will receive the Foundation in a private audience and address us with words of greeting and pastoral instruction. The programme includes daily Eucharist, concerts, an academic conference, a screening of a new film about the Pope with the participation of its director, and a gathering at the Polish House on Via Cassia 1200, where—following the tradition of previous years—a commemorative plaque will be unveiled with the names of our distinguished benefactors since 2022, when, with a one‑year delay caused by the pandemic, we celebrated the 40th anniversary. We are also pleased that the programme will include a lecture by Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Syria, the laureate of the most recent edition of our “Premio San Giovanni Paolo II”, organised at the Angelicum University by our partner, the Saint John Paul II Institute of Culture, led by its founder and programme director, Prof. Dariusz Karłowicz.
We are likewise delighted by the announced participation of representatives of practically all Circles of Friends from around the world, as well as numerous benefactors and collaborators. In prayer we will hold in special remembrance both deceased members, benefactors and supporters of our Foundation, and those who, due to age, health or other difficulties, will not be able to attend the event in person.
We warmly ask each of you, our Dear Readers, for spiritual support, the offering of sufferings, and prayerful remembrance of the upcoming event. We are also deeply grateful for all financial contributions to the organisation of the Jubilee and the continuation of our activities and scholarship programmes. We carry all of you in our hearts and promise remembrance during our prayers, meetings, reflections, and especially during the Eucharist at the tomb of Saint John Paul II in the Vatican.
Detailed Programme of the Celebrations
19 – 22 October 2026 | Totus Tuus, Regina Pacis
45th Anniversary Jubilee of the John Paul II Vatican Foundation
19 October 2026 | Monday
9:00 – Holy Mass opening the celebrations (celebrated by Card. Stanisław Dziwisz)
Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia | Via dei Penitenzieri 12 | Rome
11:30 – Meeting with the Holy Father Leo XIV
Apostolic Palace | Vatican
13:00 – Vin d’honneur
Foyer of the Paul VI Hall | Vatican
18:00 – Screening of the film “Mary, the Pope’s Mother” with the participation of the director
John Paul II Polish House | Via Cassia 1200 | Rome
20 October 2026 | Tuesday
9:00 – Anniversary symposium; screening of the film “Mary, the Pope’s Mother” with the participation of the director
Pontifical University of the Holy Cross | John Paul II Hall | Piazza di Sant’Apollinare 49 | Rome
18:30 – Holy Mass with the entrustment of the Foundation to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (celebrated by Msgr. Paweł Ptasznik)
Basilica of the Twelve Apostles | Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 51 | Rome
19:30 – Anniversary concert in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John Paul II
Basilica of the Twelve Apostles | Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 51 | Rome
21 October 2026 | Wednesday
10:00 – General Audience with the Holy Father Leo XIV (assembly at 8:00)
St Peter’s Square | Vatican
15:30 – Meeting of the Presidents of the Friends’ Circles with the Administrative Council
John Paul II Polish House | Via Cassia 1200 | Rome
17:00 – Holy Mass (celebrated by Card. Stanisław Dziwisz)
Chapel of the John Paul II Polish House | Via Cassia 1200 | Rome
18:30 – Unveiling and blessing of the commemorative plaque
John Paul II Polish House | Via Cassia 1200 | Rome
19:15 – Dinner
Gardens of the John Paul II Polish House | Via Cassia 1200 | Rome
22 October 2026 | Thursday | Memorial of St John Paul II
8:00 – Solemn Holy Mass concluding the anniversary celebrations (celebrated by Card. Grzegorz Ryś)
St Peter’s Basilica | Altar of the Confessio | Vatican
16:30 – Lecture “Martyr. Witness of Hope” – Archbishop Jacques Mourad (JP2 Award Laureate, 2025)
Pontifical University Angelicum | Aula 11 | Largo Angelicum 1 | Rome
19:30 – Concert: “Psalms with John Paul II – Psalms of Peace”
Auditorium Conciliazione | Via della Conciliazione 4 | Rome
