INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

Marshal Piotr Całbecki, Archbishop Metropolitan of Gdańsk Tadeusz Wojda SAC, and Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Toruń Arkadiusz Okroj are the honorary patrons of the national scientific conference “Celebrations of Holy Years in the Catholic Church: History, Tradition, and the Present Day,” taking place today (October 22) at the Marshal’s Office. The event gathers Church historians and theologians from leading academic centers across Poland.

“Through this conference, we want to highlight the role and significance of the celebration of Holy Years—their roots, origins, and the history of individual jubilees. I am especially pleased that the conference is honored by the presence of Bishop Prof. Jan Kopiec, a Church historian and expert on the modern era; Rev. Prof. Robert Skrzypczak, theologian and one of the most renowned commentators on social and religious life; Prof. Paweł Skibiński, a scholar of contemporary history and author of studies on St. John Paul II’s apostolic journeys to Poland; and Rev. Prof. Mariusz Kuciński, who for many years was among the close collaborators of Pope Benedict XVI.
We will also hear a lecture by Prof. Tomasz Graff on the celebration of Holy Years in the Middle Ages, and a presentation by Rev. Prof. Stanisław Adamiak on the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000,” said Prof. Michał Białkowski of Nicolaus Copernicus University, chair of the conference’s scientific committee.

Prof. Białkowski’s lecture prepared for the event is titled “A Jubilee from Half a Century Ago: Paul VI, the Polish Episcopate, and the Holy Year 1975.”

The inspiration for undertaking this scholarly reflection on the idea of Holy Years (Jubilees) in the Christian tradition is the upcoming Holy Year 2025, celebrated in the Catholic Church under the motto “Pilgrims of Hope.”

The conference is organized by the Catholic Intelligentsia Club in Toruń.

Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

October 22, 2025