Rome is (extremely) late for the Jubilee, but unlike its citizens, the Public Administration remains unpunished.

Asymmetry and addiction are the two words that have long been pervasive in the relationship between Italian citizens and institutions . What is permitted to institutions is never permitted to citizens. If you don't pay your taxes by the due date, you have to deal with interest. And, in the long run, with justice. If you don't meet the deadlines for completing a job for the Public Administration (PA), you pay a penalty. And rightly so.

This isn't the case when the commitment involves the public administration. It always goes unpunished. And citizens now seem accustomed to this way of understanding the relationship with the state, in its various institutional and administrative forms. No "injustice" seems sufficient to cause scandal.

In less than six months , the Holy Year 2025 will be archived in the memories of millions of faithful and tourists (and Roman citizens). It will be a Holy Year that will also be unforgettable due to the change at the head of the Roman episcopate: Pope Francis opened the Jubilee on Christmas Eve 2024, and the new pope, Leo XIV , will celebrate its closing on January 6, 2026.

As is tradition, a major event brings with it a long list of public works, which in ordinary times are not addressed, are postponed, and sometimes forgotten.

A little over six months into the Holy Year, the latest available data from the Observatory on Rome's Construction Sites shows that of the 323 projects planned for the Jubilee , only 149 are completed or "partially" (the adverb is generous) concluded. This represents 46% of the total. There remain 111 active construction sites spread across the city, clearly visible among the yellow tarps and orange netting that inhibit, or hinder, car and pedestrian traffic.

Among these, the most notable is Calatrava's Sails in Tor Vergata, the site of the youth day planned for late July and early August, with an estimated attendance of over 1.5 million people . The sails have now been restored, demolitions have been completed, and the new highway bridge has been inaugurated, but all the structures and pedestrian and vehicle access points are still missing. The construction site has been delayed by at least three months. And the event is about to be celebrated.

There are still 61 projects that have not yet been started, listed as "soon to begin" but with no official dates. Added to these are the interventions of the PNRR – Caput Mundi , with €620 million plus €500 million earmarked for tourism and urban development projects, whose implementation is progressing, but will still take time.

Looking at the City of Rome's website, the data is even worse. Rome City Council is implementing 275 projects, and the results are even more disheartening: only 15 projects are listed as "completed." In the detailed list, it's common to read that the project is scheduled for completion in the second, third, or even fourth quarters of 2026. In short, even after the Jubilee , there will still be many construction sites open, unfinished, and hopefully not abandoned.

It would be like telling a pilgrim, coming to Rome to gain a plenary indulgence for his sins during the Jubilee, that in reality the indulgence—which includes confession and Eucharist during the pilgrimage —can be fulfilled within the following year. Perhaps, if he wants, if he remembers. A contradiction in terms.

To adopt a more secular comparison, as we mentioned at the beginning, it would be enough to suggest that taxpayers pay taxes and contributions a year or so late, compared to the established (and expected) deadlines. They would realize that this lax approach is permissible only for the State and its administrations. The reverse is not envisaged, unless they pay a heavy price for non-compliance.