File photo of Pope
Francis in prayer (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
Pope’s World Day of Peace message: ‘We are all in debt to
God’
In his message for the 58th World Day of Peace marked on 1
January, Pope Francis reflects on the central theme of the upcoming Jubilee of
Hope and reiterates his pressing appeal for debt forgiveness, reminding us that
we are all “debtors” to God and one another.
By Lisa Zengarini
Hope has been a constant theme in all of Pope Francis’ World
Day of Peace messages. This is all the more true in his message for the 58th
World Day of Peace, which will be marked on 1 January 2025, as the Church
begins the Jubilee of Hope amid an unprecedented combination of challenges
facing the world today.
"Forgive us our trespasses"
This year’s message is dedicated to the theme “Forgive us
our Trespasses: Grant us your Peace," underscoring the deep meaning of the
Jubilee tradition that reminds us that we are all "in debt" to God,
who in His infinite mercy and love forgives our sins and calls upon us to
forgive those who trespass against us.
Recalling that in the Jewish tradition, the Jubilee was a
special year of universal remission of sins and debts liberating the oppressed,
the Pope notes that in our day too, this special year of grace “is an event
that inspires us to seek to establish the liberating justice of God in our
world,” marred by injustices and “systemic” challenges that Saint John Paul II
termed “structures of sin.”
Systemic injustices and "interconnected"
challenges
The Pope cites the inhuman treatment inflicted on migrants,
environmental degradation, “the confusion wilfully created by disinformation,
the refusal to engage in any form of dialogue, and the immense resources spent
on the industry of war.”
"Each of us must feel in some way responsible for the
devastation to which the earth, our common home, has been subjected, beginning
with those actions that, albeit only indirectly, fuel the conflicts that
presently plague our human family," he writes.
“Each of us must feel in some way responsible for the
devastation to which the earth, our common home, has been subjected, beginning
with those actions that, albeit only indirectly, fuel the conflicts that
presently plague our human family.”
These "interconnected" challenges, Pope Francis
argues, demand not “sporadic acts of philanthropy” but “cultural and structural
changes” to “break the bonds of injustice and to proclaim God’s justice.”
Resources of the earth are God's gift to all humanity
Referencing Saint Basil of Caesarea, the Pope reminds us
that everything we claim as our own is, in fact, a gift from God and that
therefore the resources of the earth are intended for the benefit of all
humanity, “not just a privileged few.”
By losing sight of our relationship with God, he says, human
interactions become tainted by the logic of exploitation and oppression, “where
might makes right."
This mirrors the dynamics of elites in
Jesus’ time, who thrived on the suffering of the poor and finds resonance in
today’s globalized world, which perpetuates injustices as showcased by the debt
crisis trapping poorer nations in the Global South in a vicious circle of
dependency and inequality.
Foreign debt a means of control by richer nations
Indeed, the Pope observes, “Foreign debt has become a means
of control whereby certain governments and private financial institutions of
the richer countries unscrupulously and indiscriminately exploit the human and
natural resources of poorer countries, simply to satisfy the demands of their
own markets.”
In addition, “different peoples, already burdened by
international debt, find themselves also forced to bear the burden of the
‘ecological debt’ incurred by the more developed countries.”
In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis therefore
reiterates his plea for the international community to work towards forgiving
foreign debt in recognition of the ecological debt existing between the North and
the South of this world. “This is an appeal for solidarity, but above all for
justice,” he emphasizes.
"The cultural and structural change needed will come
about when we finally recognize that we are all sons and daughters of the one
Father, that we are all in his debt but also that we need one another, in a
spirit of shared and diversified responsibility," he writes.
“The cultural and structural change needed will come
about when we finally recognize that we are all sons and daughters of the one
Father, that we are all in his debt but also that we need one another, in a
spirit of shared and diversified responsibility.”
As a pathway of hope during the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis
offers three proposals, keeping in mind that “we are debtors whose debts have
been forgiven.”
Plea for debt forgiveness
First, he renews the appeal launched by Saint John Paul II
on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 to consider substantial
reductions or the outright cancellation of international debts of countries
“that are in no condition to repay the amount they owe," also in light of
the ecological debt the more prosperous countries owe them.
This, he says, should be done in a “new financial
framework," leading to the creation of a global financial charter “based
on solidarity and harmony between peoples.”
Appeal for abolition of death penalty
The Pope then asks for “a firm commitment to respect the
dignity of human life from conception to natural death” and calls for the
abolition of the death penalty and promoting a culture of life that values
every individual.
Less money for weapons, more for development
Following in the footsteps of Saint Paul VI and Benedict
XVI, Pope Francis reiterates his appeal to divert “at least a fixed percentage
of the money” earmarked for armaments towards a global fund to eradicate hunger
and foster sustainable development in poorer nations, helping them combat
climate change.
"Hope overflows in generosity; it is free of
calculation, makes no hidden demands, is unconcerned with gain, but aims at one
thing alone: to raise up those who have fallen, to heal hearts that are broken
and to set us free from every kind of bondage.," he writes.
“Generosity raises up those who have fallen, heals hearts
that are broken and sets us free from every kind of bondage.”
Disarming hearts
The overarching goal of these proposals is the attainment of
true and lasting peace in the world, which is not merely the absence of war but
a profound transformation of hearts and societies.
True peace, the Pope says, is granted by God to hearts that
are “disarmed” of selfishness, hostility, and anxiety for the future, replacing
them with generosity, forgiveness, and hope for a better world: "May we
seek the true peace that is granted to God by hearts disarmed."
“May we seek the true peace that is granted by God to
hearts disarmed.”
Simple acts of kindness and solidarity, he notes, can pave
the way for this new world, fostering a deeper sense of fraternity and shared
humanity.
Concluding his message, Pope Francis offers the following
prayer for peace:
Forgive us our trespasses, Lord,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
In this cycle of forgiveness, grant us your peace,
the peace that you alone can give
to those who let themselves be disarmed in heart,
to those who choose in hope to forgive the debts of their
brothers and sisters,
to those who are unafraid to confess their debt to you,
and to those who do not close their ears to the cry of
the poor.
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