VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Between 3,000 and 4,000 artists are expected to participate in a special Jubilee observance at the Vatican on February 18. Bishop Francesco Marchisano, the chief organizer of the artists' jubilee, regards that figure as "more than satisfactory."

    Architects, painters, sculptors, and musicians are expected to arrive in Rome for the event. But the Jubilee organizers have also extended their invitation to practitioners of the practical arts, and to those who work in the field of fashion and style. The Jubilee will provide a time for reflection on the vocation of the artist, Bishop Marchisano said.

    The bishop pointed out to reporters that the Catholic Church has been a leading patron of the arts for centuries. However, he said, the movement toward modern art has produced a failure of understanding between artists and the Church. Bishop Marchisano suggested that one outcome of the Jubilee could be the formation of "strategies for rapprochement" between the world of art and the world of faith.