Pope Francis announces Jubilee Year
Pope Francis announces Jubilee Year
Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 as Jubilee year, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi has announced.
Through a letter dated 5th September 2024, the conference has announced that the Holy Father will commence the Year with the opening of Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on 24th December 2024.
The letter states that the Holy Father has made the declaration through The Papal bull titled “Spes Non Confudit” which means Hope does not Dissappoint.
To be celebrated under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, “Pope Francis sees the Jubilee Year as an opportunity for us to be renewed in hope, especially in a world facing challenges such as war, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis. He invites us to renew our hope, envision a world where everyone has access to the earth’s resources, and rediscover a spirituality that emphasises our role as “pilgrims on earth” rather than masters of the world.”
The Jubilee Year founded on Leviticus 25:8—55, relives where it occurred every 50 years and involved the cancellation of debts, the freeing of slaves and prisoners, a period of rest for people and the earth, and the restoration of land to the landless as a manifestation of God’s mercy.
The Jubilee year will conclude on January 6 2026.
The Jubilee Year is a special celebration held at least once every 25 years, during which Catholics can receive an indulgence. It was established in 1300 by Pope Boniface V Ill. Initially meant to be celebrated every 100 years, the frequency was changed to every 50 years by Pope Clement VI in 1342 and then to every 25 years by Pope Paul Il in 1470. A pope can also proclaim an Extraordinary Jubilee Year at any time, as was the case with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy called by Pope Francis in 2015.