“Conversion. As the Church and as disciples we need to undergo conversion. Constant renewal of mind and heart. The Christian is a person who has hope and who waits for Christ rather than be defined by the past errors of sins committed,” words of Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Pope Francis released his message for the 58th World Day of Peace, commemorated annually on January 1, with three concrete proposals for people to embark upon a profound “journey of hope” in the 2025 Jubilee Year.
According to the pope, the path toward “a true and lasting peace” in the world is rooted in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and requires a desire for change on a personal, cultural, and structural level “in order to confront the present state of injustice and inequality.”
Renewing the appeals for peace of his predecessors St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and St. Paul VI, the Holy Father called for the development of a new financial framework based on solidarity; the elimination of the death penalty in all nations; and, using a fixed percentage of money “earmarked for armaments,” to establish a global fund to sustainably eradicate hunger and promote education in poorer countries.
“The Holy Father speaks about the poor countries,” Cardinal Czerny noted. “In our time, he says this must include the conversion of hearts.”
“If we take to heart these much-needed changes, the Jubilee Year of Grace can serve to set each of us on a renewed journey of hope, born of the experience of God’s unlimited mercy,” the pope wrote in his message for peace.
Cardinal Czerny told journalists that a “constant renewal of mind and heart” is needed to bring about future changes to improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable.
Adapted by Jacob Stein
