...
By Matthew Robinson
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Pope Leo XIV has marked the end of the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year by denouncing anti-foreigner attitudes and consumerism.
Speaking to tens of thousands of people gathered at the Vatican on Tuesday, Leo said the Jubilee, a holy year of renewal and forgiveness in the Catholic church, had encouraged Christians to reject the "the flattery and seduction of those in power" and to welcome strangers.
"Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything," he said. "Let us ask ourselves: has the Jubilee taught us to flee from this type of efficiency that reduces everything to a product and human beings to consumers?"
Read More on News
He added: "After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner, and fellow travelers in those who are different?"
Why It Matters
Leo's message comes at a time of heightened global debate around migration and social division, and underscores the Catholic church's stance against rising xenophobia and economic inequality.
...
What To Know
On Tuesday, Leo also said that Jubilees typically included appeals for a "redistribution of the land and its resources" to those in need.
In a prayer, delivered to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, he said: "In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace."
Leo made his comments during the Mass of Epiphany, which is traditionally held on January 6. The event also closed the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee, which had the theme of "pilgrims of hope."
Holy Years, or Jubilees, are a centuries-old Vatican tradition in which Christians make pilgrimages to Rome to visit the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul.
The Vatican said on Monday that more than 33 million pilgrims had taken part in the 2025 Jubilee, with people coming from 185 countries. Nations with the most pilgrims included Italy, the United States, Spain, Brazil and Poland.
Last year was only the second time in history that a Holy Year was opened by one pope and closed by another. The former pontiff Pope Francis died in April at the age of 88.
What Happens Next
Leo has announced that the next Jubilee will be in 2033, when the Church will mark 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines