Rome – Following Pope Francis’ surprise announcement that the Roman Catholic Church will mark an extraordinary Holy Year, it has been revealed that Vatican representatives will meet with municipal and regional officials to discuss the funding and management of the special event.

Traditionally, Holy Years are announced every quarter of a century and with the previous one taking place in 2000 to honour the second millennium since the birth of Christ, it had been anticipated that the next would fall around 2025.

However, a Pope may declare an extraordinary Holy Year to bring attention to a particular topic, and in this case the year will focus around mercy. Pope Francis has called for members of the Catholic Church to be more merciful and show a greater forgiveness towards sinners.

“The Church is the home that accepts everyone and refuses no one … the greater the sin, the greater the love that the Church should show towards those who convert," said Pope Francis.

It is anticipated that throughout the year, millions of pilgrims will travel to Rome to pass through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica. However, this in turn will require the city to invest heavily to improve current infrastructure and security. According to reports in Il Messaggero, road maintenance, security costs and the organisation of special, religious events could see total expenditure of over one billion euros.

The current Roman administration has inherited a precarious financial situation with an estimated 310 million euros worth of cuts planned. For this reason Mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino has underlined the need to be careful with spending, calling for a “low cost” Holy Year, which focuses on the key spiritual themes.

It has not yet been revealed whether the Vatican will also help to fund the cost of the event. However, in an interview with Il Messaggero, Angelo Rughetti, the Undersecretary for Public Administration said this must be an option.

"The Vatican should be called upon to pay some of the costs related to the organisation of the jubilee," said Rughetti. “The Jubilee is a great thing for the Church and for Catholic Christians. We must make sure that it will be the same for Romans and Italians.

Pope Francis revealed on Friday that the Holy Year would commence on December 8, traditionally marked by the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and finish on November 20, 2016, to coincide with the Feast of Christ the King.