(CLO) Pope Francis opened the Catholic Church's historic "Year of Hope" and called for world improvement, as he led Roman Catholics around the world in celebrating Christmas on Tuesday night (December 24).
Pope Francis, celebrating his 12th Christmas as pope, presided over a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and inaugurated the Catholic Jubilee Year 2025, whose main theme is "Hope".
Pope Francis said the story of Jesus' birth as the son of a poor carpenter should inspire hope that everyone can make an impact on the world.
Pope Francis delivers a homily focused on hope during Christmas Eve at the Vatican on December 24, 2024. Photo: CNA
"There is so much devastation in the world today," Pope Francis said on Christmas Eve, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel's alleged genocide in Gaza. "Think of the wars, of the children who are shot dead, of the bombs that fall on schools and hospitals."
In his homily focused on hope - the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Pope said the faith of hope "is a call not to hesitate, not to be held back by old habits, or to sink into mediocrity or laziness".
Hope, he said, is not apathy but requires courage. It means not being afraid to “speak out against evil and injustice inflicted on the poor. Hope calls us… to be angry at what is wrong and to find the courage to change it.”
Catholic Holy Years, also known as Jubilee Years, are considered a time of peace, forgiveness, and forgiveness. They typically occur every 25 years. Pilgrims who travel to Rome during the year can receive special indulgences, or forgiveness of their sins. This Holy Year will last until January 6, 2026.
Pope Francis performs Christmas Eve mass at the Vatican on December 24, 2024. Photo: Vatican
At the beginning of Tuesday's ceremony, the Pope oversaw the opening of the bronze "Holy Door" in St. Peter's Basilica, which is only open during Jubilee years. The Vatican expects up to 100,000 pilgrims to pass through the door each day next year and welcome about 30 million tourists in total.
During the mass, which the Pope presided over with about 6,000 people in St. Peter's Basilica and 25,000 watching on screens in the square outside, he also reiterated his earlier call for developed nations to use the 2025 Jubilee Year to reduce the debt burden borne by low-income countries.
“The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and to our commitment to transform our world,” the Pope said. “A time of Jubilee for poorer countries burdened by unjust debts; a time of Jubilee for all those bound by old and new forms of slavery.”
The call for direct debt forgiveness made by the late Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee Year of 2000 opened a campaign to cancel $130 billion in debt between 2000 and 2015.
Hoang Anh (according to Vatican, UPI, Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/giao-hoang-francis-mo-dau-nam-thanh-hy-vong-keu-goi-cai-thien-the-gioi-trong-dem-giang-sinh-post327330.html
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