Pope Francis has expressed that the narrative of Jesus’ birth as the son of a humble carpenter should inspire hope that every individual has the potential to make a difference in the world. This message resonated as the pontiff led the global Roman Catholic community into the Christmas celebrations.
In marking the 12th Christmas of his papacy, Pope Francis officiated a solemn Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter’s Basilica and inaugurated the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which is anticipated to attract around 32 million tourists to Rome next year.
Delivering a sermon centered on the virtue of hope, the theme for the Holy Year, the pontiff stated that hope “is a summons not to linger, to be held back by our old habits, or to sink into mediocrity or laziness.”
“Hope urges us … to be concerned about what is amiss and to summon the courage to effect change,” he remarked.
At the start of the Christmas Eve ceremony, Pope Francis presided over the opening of a special bronze-panelled “Holy Door” at St Peter’s, which will remain open exclusively during Jubilee years. The Vatican anticipates that up to 100,000 pilgrims will pass through the door each day in the coming year.
Pope Francis officially launches the 2025 Jubilee Year with the unveiling of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica.
During the papal Mass attended by thousands in St Peter’s Basilica and many more watching on screens in the square outside, the pope reiterated his previous appeal for developed nations to utilize the Jubilee as an opportunity to alleviate the debt burdens of low-income countries.
“The Jubilee summons us to spiritual renewal and compels us to transform our world,” the pontiff declared.
“It is a time of jubilee for poorer nations that are oppressed by unjust debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are enslaved by various forms of bondage, both old and new.”
In 2000, a call for direct debt cancellation by the late Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee year sparked a movement that culminated in $130 billion of debt relief between 2000 and 2015.
Pope Francis, who turned 88 earlier this month, has been unwell with what the Vatican described as a cold. However, he appeared to be in good spirits on Tuesday evening, though his voice was slightly raspy.
On Wednesday, the pope will deliver his Christmas Day “Urbiet Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing.
