Vatican City, January 9, 2025 / 1:00 p.m
Pope Francis delivered his annual “state of the world” address on Thursday, asking ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to pursue a “diplomacy of hope” during the 2025 jubilee year, condemning a polarization he said led to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“We see increasingly polarized societies characterized by a general sense of fear and mistrust towards others and towards the future, which is exacerbated by the constant creation and dissemination of ‘fake news’, which distorts not only facts but also perceptions,” the Pope said. .
“This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that incites hatred, undermines people’s sense of security and endangers civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations. Tragic examples of this are the attacks on the head of the government of Slovakia and the president-elect of the United States ”, he continued.
The 88-year-old pontiff was unable to deliver his entire speech due to a lingering cold, and asked an aide to deliver his prepared remarks to diplomats in the Hall of Blessings in Vatican City on January 9.
Describing the gathering with the diplomatic corps at the Vatican as “a family event,” the Holy Father opened his address by urging government leaders and representatives to “serve the common good” and to work for an “integrated human development” for all peoples.
“My prayer for the new year is that the Jubilee may represent for all, both Christians and non-Christians, an opportunity to also reconsider the relationships that bind us to each other, as human beings and as political communities,” the Pope said in his prepared address to the diplomatic corps .
Referring to diplomacy as a “calling” to “promote dialogue with all parties,” the Pope said political leaders are called to be heralds of peace, truth, forgiveness, freedom and justice.
During his speech, the Holy Father cited chapter 61 of the book of Isaiah as the root of his proposed “diplomacy of hope” for 2025: “Christ came ‘to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind together the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the captives; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s mercy (cf. Isa 61:1-2a).’”
“Only in this way is it possible to break the chains of hatred and revenge that bind and to disarm the explosive power of human selfishness, pride and arrogance, which is the root of every destructive determination to make war,” the Pope told diplomats. on Thursday morning.
To create peace in regions, countries at war
The Holy Father circled the globe in his annual address, raising his concerns about the growing social and political tensions in various parts of the world, particularly in Ukraine and the Holy Land.
“My wish for the year 2025 is for the entire international community to work first and foremost to end the conflict which for nearly three years now has caused so much bloodshed in war-torn Ukraine and has taken a huge toll of lives, including those of many civilians,” he said.
For the Holy Land, the Pope renewed his call for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza. He also prayed that Jerusalem would become the “city of meeting” for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
“My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust, starting with the smallest, so that future generations can live side by side in the two states, in peace and security,” he said.
The write-off of oppressive economic, environmental debts
The Holy Father also expressed concern for Global South countries burdened by debts imposed on them by Global North nations and international corporations.
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“I am asking the richer nations to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. This is not only an act of solidarity or generosity but above all an act of justice,” he pleaded.
Threats to true peace and justice
While Francis recognized the “undoubted benefits” of advances in communications technology and artificial intelligence in his speech, he also highlighted its potential to threaten avenues of peace in society.
“They can be misused to manipulate minds for economic, political and ideological purposes,” he said. “Its limitations and dangers cannot be overlooked, as it often contributes to polarization, a narrowing of intellectual perspectives, a simplification of reality, addiction, anxiety and, ironically, isolation.”
The Pope also spoke of the dangers of unrestrained consumption that “threatens to undermine the order of values inherent in the creation of relationships, education and the transmission of social mores.”
The Holy Father emphasized the duty to care for society’s “weakest and most vulnerable” and reiterated the need to protect life “at every moment, from conception to natural death”.
“No child is a mistake or guilty of existing, just as no elderly or sick person should be deprived of hope and thrown away,” he said.
Kristina Millare is a freelance journalist with a professional communications background in the humanitarian aid and development sector, news journalism, entertainment marketing, politics and government, business and entrepreneurship.
