Jubilee 2025

Leo XIV received more than 160 professionals on the 130th anniversary of the birth of cinema. He described it as an "act of love" that "must not shy away from the mystery of fragility". Its creators are "pilgrims of imagination", capable of "recognizing beauty even in the folds of pain". Drawing on the words of director David W. Griffith, he called on them to make it "an art of the Spirit”.

During the ecumenical celebration at St Paul's Outside the Walls in honour of the 1,624 Christians of all denominations who gave their lives for the Gospel in the first 25 years of this century, Pope Leo XIV quoted the words of a child who died at the age of 10 among the victims of the Youhanabad massacre on 15 March 2025. ‘Although they were killed in body, no one can silence their voices or erase the love they gave.’

In the large open space outside Rome, one million young people celebrated their Jubilee ahead of the next WYD in Asia. AsiaNews spoke to some of the 1,500 Koreans in attendance, “eagerly waiting” and “diligently preparing for 2027.” One said that his mother’s conversion “brought me here today, to Rome.” Young people from Japan, India, Lebanon, and Iraq will hold in their hearts the unique encounters that rekindled their faith.

More than 600 young men and women from dioceses across India are currently taking part in the large gathering with Leo XIV at Tor Vergata. Many had something to say to AsiaNews. “I came with doubts, but I leave with deep gratitude,” said one. “I felt like I was part of a huge global Catholic family,” said another. “The songs and dances of our culture have found friends here,” said a third. For Father Chetan Machado, these youths show that “the Church is alive and vibrant in India.”

The Holy See Press Office today released the pontiff's message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which the Church will celebrate on 4-5 October during their Jubilee. Migrants “face adversity while seeking a future in which they glimpse the integral human development”. Catholic migrants “can help revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and weighed down,” and should be welcomed as “a true divine blessing”.

The pontiff met with elected officials and administrators from 68 countries who came to the Vatican for the Jubilee of Governments. The promotion of religious freedom and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence are among the priorities he indicated. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 is " always relevant” to restore “dignity to those who do not feel respected”.

The report drafted for the late pope by a group of economists led by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has been released. The study calls for a new global initiative for the most indebted poor countries but also lays out the rules for fairer finance to avoid perpetuating the same problem.

At Pentecost Mass, exhortation to welcome the Holy Spirit who breaks down walls and prejudices between peoples: 'Where there is love there is no room for the exclusion that emerges from political nationalisms. At last night's vigil, message to movements and associations gathered for their Jubilee: "Evangelization is not a human conquest of the world".

On the eve of their Jubilee at Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV met in the Vatican with the leaders of international associations and groups of believers recognised by the Holy See. “God raises up charisms: to awaken in hearts a desire to encounter Christ,” he said, while at the same time, urging them to be “a leaven of unity, communion, and fraternity in our world, so torn by discord and violence.”

A report by the Lowy Institute highlights that China is expected to receive this year some US$ 22 billion in interest on debt from countries that the UN classifies as most fragile. This figure is far higher than new loans China currently grants per year. For 54 countries, China holds more shares of bilateral debt than all the countries of the Paris Club put together. The numbers are significant also considering the appeal Pope Francis made for debt cancellation on the occasion of the Jubilee.

The convalescing pontiff wrote meditations for this evening's rite at the Colosseum, which he will follow from Casa Santa Marta. “The steps you take as you leave the city can foreshadow our own exodus to a new land,” the pope writes. Some of the evils of a world that call for redemption are an economy ruled by the cold logic of algorithms, crocodile tears, and divisions within the Church. Joseph of Arimathea is an icon of the boldness of hope.

In Oceania too, dependence on creditors has grown, a problem at the centre of Pope Francis' appeal for the Jubilee 2025. With clear political will, the serious situations in other countries could still be avoided, but there is still little awareness. On 24 May, a global 24-hour “Relay for Peace” will start from Samoa to raise awareness.