In his message for the 58th World Day of Peace marked on 1 January, Pope Francis reflects on the central theme of the upcoming Jubilee of Hope and reiterates his pressing appeal for debt forgiveness, reminding us that we are all “debtors” to God and one another.
( Vaticannews )Hope has been a constant theme in all of Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace messages. This is all the more true in his message for the 58th World Day of Peace, which will be marked on 1 January 2025, as the Church begins the Jubilee of Hope amid an unprecedented combination of challenges facing the world today.
"Forgive us our trespasses"
This year’s message is entitled “Forgive Us Our Debts: Grant Us Your Peace” underscoring the deep meaning of the Jubilee tradition that reminds us that we are all "in debt" to God, who in His infinite mercy and love forgives our sins and calls upon us to forgive those who trespass against us.
Recalling that in the Jewish tradition, the Jubilee was a special year of universal remission of sins and debts liberating the oppressed, the Pope notes that in our day too, this special year of grace “is an event that inspires us to seek to establish the liberating justice of God in our world,” marred by injustices and “systemic” challenges that Saint John Paul II termed “structures of sin.”
Systemic injustices and "interconnected" challenges
The Pope cites the inhuman treatment inflicted on migrants, environmental degradation, “the confusion wilfully created by disinformation, the refusal to engage in any form of dialogue, and the immense resources spent on the industry of war.”
"Each of us must feel in some way responsible for the devastation to which the earth, our common home, has been subjected, beginning with those actions that, albeit only indirectly, fuel the conflicts that presently plague our human family," he writes.
Foreign debt a means of control by richer nations
Indeed, the Pope observes, “Foreign debt has become a means of control whereby certain governments and private financial institutions of the richer countries unscrupulously and indiscriminately exploit the human and natural resources of poorer countries, simply to satisfy the demands of their own markets.”
In addition, “different peoples, already burdened by international debt, find themselves also forced to bear the burden of the ‘ecological debt’ incurred by the more developed countries.”
In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis therefore reiterates his plea for the international community to work towards forgiving foreign debt in recognition of the ecological debt existing between the North and the South of this world. “This is an appeal for solidarity, but above all for justice,” he emphasizes.
"The cultural and structural change needed will come about when we finally recognize that we are all sons and daughters of the one Father, that we are all in his debt but also that we need one another, in a spirit of shared and diversified responsibility," he writes.
Plea for debt forgiveness
First, he renews the appeal launched by Saint John Paul II on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 to consider substantial reductions or the outright cancellation of international debts of countries “that are in no condition to repay the amount they owe,"
also in light of the ecological debt the more prosperous countries owe them.
This, he says, should be done in a “new financial framework," leading to the creation of a global financial charter “based on solidarity and harmony between peoples.”
Appeal for abolition of death penalty
The Pope then asks for “a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death”
and calls for the abolition of the death penalty and promoting a culture of life that values every individual.
Less money for weapons, more for development
Following in the footsteps of Saint Paul VI and Benedict XVI, Pope Francis reiterates his appeal to divert “at least a fixed percentage of the money” earmarked for armaments towards a global fund to eradicate hunger and foster sustainable development in poorer nations, helping them combat climate change.
"Hope overflows in generosity; it is free of calculation, makes no hidden demands, is unconcerned with gain, but aims at one thing alone: to raise up those who have fallen, to heal hearts that are broken and to set us free from every kind of bondage.," he writes.
Disarming hearts
The overarching goal of these proposals is the attainment of true and lasting peace in the world, which is not merely the absence of war but a profound transformation of hearts and societies.
True peace, the Pope says, is granted by God to hearts that are “disarmed” of selfishness, hostility, and anxiety for the future, replacing them with generosity, forgiveness, and hope for a better world: "May we seek the true peace that is granted to God by hearts disarmed."
