Pope Francis has called for the Jubilee of 2025 with a message centered on hope, adopting the motto “Pilgrims of Hope.” With the publication of the bull Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), a title taken from the Letter to the Romans 5:5, the Pope seeks to rekindle the flame of hope in those who have passed “from confidence to fear, from serenity to discouragement, from certainty to doubt.”
The Christian life is portrayed as a journey of hope in which “we are called to rediscover hope in the signs of the times that the Lord offers us,” paying attention to “all that is good in the world so as not to be tempted to consider ourselves defeated by evil and violence.”
In this context, the Pope identifies various signs of hope in the world: the desire for peace, which emerges amid numerous wars; the openness to life through responsible motherhood and fatherhood; care for the sick; support for young people, who often see their dreams crumble; service to migrants, who leave their homeland in search of a better life; attention to the elderly, who often experience loneliness and a sense of hopelessness; and concern for the poorest and most excluded.
In this Jubilee Year, Christians are invited to transform the positive “signs of the time” into “signs of hope” and to practice conversion through concrete initiatives.
Pope Francis appeals for diplomacy to “courageously and creatively build spaces for negotiation with a view to lasting peace.” He condemns the “scandalous scourge” of hunger and renews the appeal to create a global fund with the money used for arms to end hunger and promote the development of the poorest nations.
He urges the leaders of the richest nations to “recognize the debts of those countries that will never be able to pay them,” as “it is a question of justice.” The Pope, who will open a holy door in a prison, encourages governments to “take initiatives that restore hope to prisoners, such as forms of amnesty or pardon that help people regain confidence in themselves and in society.”
Francis also invites every Christian community to be “always ready to defend the rights of the weakest,” warning against the prejudices and isolation that affect migrants, exiles, displaced persons, and refugees.
Our hope and prayer is that this New Year will indeed be a time of hope and spiritual renewal for humanity. May men and women of goodwill revive their aspirations for a brighter future and a more just world.
