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The Jubilee was a media event of global significance that commanded attention for several reasons: its international relevance, the central role of the Roman Pontiff—a globally recognized figure who emerged as a media icon—the mobilization of millions of pilgrims to Rome, and the celebration’s profound dramatic impact. Additionally, the event generated religious, economic, and marketing incentives, further amplifying its media appeal. These factors ensured that television, alongside the press, cinema, and radio, swiftly engaged with the Jubilee. In 1949, the Vatican enthusiastically announced the advent of “the pope’s television,” a gift from the French episcopate, which broadcasted images of the Jubilee rites for the first time. Though brief, this experience revealed the potential of the medium to the Holy See. From that moment, the cameras never turned away. Since 1954, Italian television—long holding a de facto monopoly over the Vatican’s image—and the Centro Televisivo Vaticano have played leading and supportive roles on the global stage. Each Jubilee became a site of technological experimentation, evolving from the limited 1950 broadcasts to the color global transmission of Paul VI’s post-conciliar Jubilee, to the 4K imagery of pope Francis’ Jubilee of Mercy. Each iteration saw renowned directors—from Zeffirelli to Olmi—interpret the millennia-old rite through a distinctive cinematic lens, elevating the event beyond mere technological aesthetics. Beyond this, the televisual portrayal and narrative construction of each Jubilee also carried significant ecclesiological implications, warranting critical examination. This essay thus aims to reconstruct a chapter of religious and media history within a broader socio-cultural and ecclesiastical context. Television, following cinema, enabled for the first time “virtual pilgrimages” from the domestic sphere, disrupting a centuries-old tradition of physical pilgrimage to the Sacred City— with profound consequences for devotional practices and in the ecclesiological and liturgical dimension.

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The Jubilees and Television (1949–2000)

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Federico Ruozzi

摘要

The Jubilee was a media event of global significance that commanded attention for several reasons: its international relevance, the central role of the Roman Pontiff—a globally recognized figure who emerged as a media icon—the mobilization of millions of pilgrims to Rome, and the celebration’s profound dramatic impact. Additionally, the event generated religious, economic, and marketing incentives, further amplifying its media appeal. These factors ensured that television, alongside the press, cinema, and radio, swiftly engaged with the Jubilee. In 1949, the Vatican enthusiastically announced the advent of “the pope’s television,” a gift from the French episcopate, which broadcasted images of the Jubilee rites for the first time. Though brief, this experience revealed the potential of the medium to the Holy See. From that moment, the cameras never turned away. Since 1954, Italian television—long holding a de facto monopoly over the Vatican’s image—and the Centro Televisivo Vaticano have played leading and supportive roles on the global stage. Each Jubilee became a site of technological experimentation, evolving from the limited 1950 broadcasts to the color global transmission of Paul VI’s post-conciliar Jubilee, to the 4K imagery of pope Francis’ Jubilee of Mercy. Each iteration saw renowned directors—from Zeffirelli to Olmi—interpret the millennia-old rite through a distinctive cinematic lens, elevating the event beyond mere technological aesthetics. Beyond this, the televisual portrayal and narrative construction of each Jubilee also carried significant ecclesiological implications, warranting critical examination. This essay thus aims to reconstruct a chapter of religious and media history within a broader socio-cultural and ecclesiastical context. Television, following cinema, enabled for the first time “virtual pilgrimages” from the domestic sphere, disrupting a centuries-old tradition of physical pilgrimage to the Sacred City— with profound consequences for devotional practices and in the ecclesiological and liturgical dimension.