Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The annual celebration of the World Day of Peace during the Holy Year 2025 will be inspired by “the concepts of hope and forgiveness” — including the forgiveness of foreign debt — “which are at the heart of the Jubilee,” the Vatican said.

Pope Francis has chosen “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace” as the theme for the celebration on Jan. 1, 2025, according to an announcement on Aug. 8 from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

The Holy Year, which Pope Francis will open on Dec. 24, is described as “a time for conversion that calls us not to condemn, but instead to bring about reconciliation and peace,” according to the dicastery.

“When considering the reality of conflicts and social sins afflicting humanity today in light of the hope inherent in the Jubilee tradition of the forgiveness of sins and the cancellation of debts, together with the reflections of the Fathers of the Church in this regard, concrete principles emerge that can lead to a much-needed spiritual, social, economic, ecological and cultural change,” it continued.

“Only from a genuine conversion on all levels — personal, local and international — will true peace be able to flourish,” stated the announcement. Conversion is needed “not only in the cessation of conflicts but also in a new reality in which wounds are healed and each person’s dignity is recognized.”

The pope’s message for World Day of Peace usually is released in early December and shared with heads of state around the world by Vatican ambassadors.

In “Spes non Confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), his bull proclaiming Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis appealed to wealthy nations to “acknowledge the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive debts that countries will never be able to repay.”

“If we really wish to prepare a path to peace in our world, let us commit ourselves to remedying remote causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable debts, and feeding the hungry,” wrote Pope Francis.

In Hebrew Scriptures, God commanded his people to observe a jubilee as a time to restore their relationships with God, other people and land by forgiving debts owed by those who are poor.