On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis urged people to find courage and hope to build a better world.
Reflecting on the story of Jesus’ humble birth as the son of a poor carpenter, the Pope reminded Roman Catholics around the world that every person has the capacity to make a meaningful difference to positively change the world.
Francis, celebrating the 12th Christmas of his pontificate, presided over a solemn Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and inaugurated the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican expects will attract some 32 million people to Rome next year. Tourists will come.
In a homily focused on the virtue of hope, which is also the theme of the Holy Year, the pope said that hope “is a summons not to delay, to maintain our old habits, or to sink into mediocrity or laziness”.
“Hope calls us … to be troubled by the wrong things and to find the courage to change them,” he said.
A Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness, and forgiveness. They usually occur every 25 years. Pilgrims to Rome during the year can receive absolution or absolution for their sins. This Jubilee will continue till January 6, 2026.
At the start of Tuesday’s ceremony, Francis oversaw the opening of a special bronze-paneled “Holy Door” in St. Peter’s, which is only open during Jubilee years. The Vatican expects 100,000 pilgrims to pass through the gates each day next year.
With thousands watching at the papal mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and thousands more on screens outside in the square, the pope asked developed countries to use the Jubilee to ease the debt burden faced by low-income countries. So repeated the previous call.
“The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world,” the Pope said. “A time of jubilee for poor countries burdened with unjust debt; a time of jubilee for all those who are bound by old and new forms of slavery.”
A direct call for debt cancellation by the late Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee Year in 2000 sparked a campaign that resulted in $130 billion in debt cancellation between 2000 and 2015.
Francis, who turns 88 this month, had what the Vatican described as a cold. He appeared in fine form on Tuesday evening, although his voice was a little hoarse.
On Wednesday, the Pope will give his Christmas Day message and blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world).