The Jubilee Year and Its Significance
What Is the Jubilee Year?
The Jubilee Year is a sacred time of grace, transformation, and renewal, rooted in the biblical tradition of Leviticus 25:10, which calls for a year to “proclaim liberty throughout the land.” In the Catholic Church, the Jubilee is a moment to forgive debts, restore relationships, and embrace God’s mercy. Pope Francis, in his Bull of Indiction Spes Non Confundit (May 9, 2024), declares the 2025 Jubilee as a “Holy Year of hope,” inviting the faithful to renew their commitment to reconciliation and justice (Spes Non Confundit, ). For Secular Franciscans, the Jubilee resonates deeply with our vocation of conversion and peacemaking. It echoes St. Francis’ call to encounter Christ in the poor, in creation, and in every brother and sister. As Spes Non Confundit urges, this is a time to “return to the heart of what is essential” (Spes Non Confundit, 5), stripping away excess and embracing Gospel simplicity.
A Time for Renewal and Reconciliation
The Jubilee is a call to action, not nostalgia. Spes Non Confundit challenges us to heal wounds, address injustices, and foster reconciliation within our communities and the world (Spes Non Confundit, 10). As Franciscans, we are summoned to live as instruments of peace, reconciling not only with God but with neighbors and creation itself. This Holy Year demands our living witness—our lives must proclaim hope and mercy.
The Voice of the Shepherd: Pope’s Message to the Diplomatic Corps
The Pastoral Heart of Diplomacy
In his Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See on May 16, 2025, Pope Leo XIV described papal diplomacy as “an expression of the very catholicity of the Church,” inspired by a pastoral outreach that seeks not privileges but opportunities to serve humanity. He emphasized that peace, justice, and truth are the pillars of the Church’s mission, engaging diplomats to build bridges through dialogue (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). Every Franciscan is a diplomat in this sense, not with treaties but with open hearts. Our daily interactions—whether with family, neighbors, or online communities—become opportunities to embody the “pastoral heart” of the Gospel, as Pope Leo XIV urges (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025).
A Vision Rooted in Service to Humanity
Pope Leo XIV’s address focused on the dignity of all, particularly the vulnerable, calling for societies to invest in families and respect every person, from the unborn to the elderly. He addressed global challenges like migration and conflict, advocating for a diplomacy rooted in human and spiritual values (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). This mirrors Fratelli Tutti, where Pope Francis writes, “Peace is built through genuine relationships rooted in truth and justice” (Fratelli Tutti, 229). As Franciscans, we are called to be beacons of this vision, living out the Church’s social teaching in a world craving authentic encounter. Our fraternity becomes a living witness to the common good.
The First Pillar – Peace: A Franciscan Path to Inner and Outer Harmony
Peace Begins in the Heart
True peace is more than the absence of war—it is a gift born in the heart and radiated outward. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis teaches that peace requires “eliminating vindictiveness and carefully choosing our words” (Fratelli Tutti, 243). St. Francis’ greeting, Pace e Bene, was a lifestyle of inner conversion, as Gaudium et Spes affirms: “Peace is the fruit of an order implanted in human society by its divine Founder” (Gaudium et Spes, 78). Pope Leo XIV emphasized that peace is “the first gift of Christ,” an active and demanding gift that begins in the heart by eliminating pride and vindictiveness (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). As Franciscans, we sow peace in daily encounters, choosing harmony over division in our families, workplaces, and communities.
Humility and Dialogue in a Fragmented World
Humility is the doorway to peace. Fratelli Tutti calls for a “culture of encounter” that listens before speaking and forgives even in pain (Fratelli Tutti, 216). In a world fractured by ideologies, Franciscan humility is revolutionary, building bridges through small acts—a shared meal, a kind word, or a letter to a policymaker. Pope Leo XIV warned that “words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill,” urging careful speech to foster peace (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). As Franciscans, we are called to foster dialogue that holds space for others, reflecting the Secular Franciscan Rule’s call to “seek ways of unity through dialogue” (Rule, Art. 19).
Disarmament and the Call for Multilateral Cooperation
In his address, Pope Leo XIV called for a halt to the production of “instruments of destruction and death,” quoting Pope Francis’ final Urbi et Orbi message: “No peace is possible without true disarmament” (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). This includes disarming hearts of pride and prejudice. Multilateral cooperation, he argued, is essential for global challenges like climate change and war (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). Franciscans, though not at global tables, influence local communities through peace vigils, interfaith dialogue, and acts of reconciliation, embodying Spes Non Confundit’s call to hope-filled action (Spes Non Confundit, 12).
The Second Pillar – Justice: The Fabric of a Just Society
Dignity Through Work and Social Cohesion
Justice is the foundation of peace, as Pope Francis teaches in Fratelli Tutti: “Working for peace requires acting justly to overcome inequalities” (Fratelli Tutti, 235). In his address, Pope Leo XIV called for societies to build harmony by investing in families and ensuring respect for the dignity of all, addressing imbalances that lead to unworthy working conditions (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). Gaudium et Spes reinforces this: “Human labor is the key to social progress” (Gaudium et Spes, 67). Franciscans advocate for the marginalized, ensuring no one is left behind. As urged by the Secular Franciscan Rule (Art. 15), our simple lifestyle is a prophetic stand against consumerism, fostering social cohesion where all belong.
The Family as a Cornerstone of Justice
The family is a “domestic church” and a cornerstone of justice. Spes Non Confundit emphasizes supporting families as an act of mercy (Spes Non Confundit, 8). Pope Leo XIV, in his address, called for investment in families “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman” to resolve inequalities and divisions, citing Rerum Novarum (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). Franciscans must support families within our fraternities, addressing their struggles and advocating for just policies, reflecting Fratelli Tutti’s vision of a society rooted in solidarity (Fratelli Tutti, 116).
Caring for the Vulnerable and Marginalized
A just society is measured by its care for the vulnerable. Pope Francis, echoing Laudato Si’, insists that justice includes migrants, the poor, and the elderly (Laudato Si’, 25). St. Francis embraced lepers, and we are called to walk with today’s outcasts—refugees, the homeless, those with mental illness. The Secular Franciscan Constitutions urge us to “create conditions worthy of humanity” (Constitutions, Art. 22). In this Jubilee Year, Spes Non Confundit invites us to widen our tent, serving the forgotten through volunteering, advocacy, or simply listening (Spes Non Confundit, 10).
The Third Pillar – Truth: The Foundation of Authentic Relationship
Speaking Truth with Charity
Truth, spoken in charity, is essential for authentic relationships. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis writes, “Truly peaceful relationships cannot be built apart from truth” (Fratelli Tutti, 226). Pope Leo XIV warned that “the Church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language” (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). Franciscans live truth through integrity, ensuring our actions match our words, as the Secular Franciscan Rule urges us to “accept all people as a gift of the Lord” (Rule, Art. 13). Speaking truth prophetically, with love, wins hearts—the Franciscan way.
Challenges of Virtual Realities and Disinformation
As Pope Leo XIV noted, the digital age distorts truth: “In a world where reality is often distorted, especially online,” the Church must speak truth with charity (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). This erodes trust and dialogue, a crisis Fratelli Tutti addresses: “Truth is an inseparable companion of justice and mercy” (Fratelli Tutti, 227). Franciscans must promote media literacy and model respectful online dialogue, ensuring our digital presence reflects Christ’s clarity.
Ethical Discernment in an Age of AI and Climate Crisis
Pope Leo XIV highlighted AI and climate change as ethical challenges requiring truth (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 2025). web:1 Laudato Si’ calls environmental destruction a moral issue, disproportionately harming the poor (Laudato Si’, 48). AI risks bias and dehumanization, demanding discernment about what it means to be human. Franciscans, lovers of creation, must advocate for sustainable policies and ethical technology, living Laudato Si’’s call to care for our common home (Laudato Si’, 13).
A Franciscan Response: Living Out the Pillars
Embracing Simplicity and Fraternity
Simplicity and fraternity are Franciscan hallmarks. Simplicity, as Laudato Si’ teaches, resists consumerism, focusing on God and others (Laudato Si’, 222). Fraternity reflects St. Francis’ vision of all as brothers and sisters, fostering unity in a divided world (Fratelli Tutti, 8). In this Jubilee Year, Spes Non Confundit calls us to deepen these commitments, living as signs of hope (Spes Non Confundit, 15).
Advocacy Through Gospel Living
Gospel living is advocacy. Our choices—ethical purchases, time spent serving, voices raised for the voiceless—proclaim justice and truth. Fratelli Tutti urges us to be “Good Samaritans” in our communities (Fratelli Tutti, 77). Fraternities can amplify this by sharing resources and supporting advocacy, embodying Spes Non Confundit’s call to action (Spes Non Confundit, 12).
Walking with the Poor and the Forgotten
St. Francis lived among the poor, and Spes Non Confundit echoes this: “The poor are at the heart of the Jubilee” (Spes Non Confundit, 8). We walk with migrants, the homeless, and the lonely through presence—listening, sharing meals, or accompanying in hardship. This is our identity, reflecting Laudato Si’’s call to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’, 49).
The Jubilee as a Call to Hope and Mission
Renewing Our Commitment as Secular Franciscans
The Jubilee is a commissioning. Spes Non Confundit invites us to renew our Franciscan vows relationally—with God, each other, and the world (Spes Non Confundit, 16). This means revitalizing fraternities, strengthening formation, and inviting others to join our joyful mission. The Holy Year is a springboard for lasting renewal.
Working for Peace in a Wounded World
In a world wounded by war and division, Fratelli Tutti calls us to be “artisans of peace” (Fratelli Tutti, 228). Through interfaith dialogue, peace vigils, or personal forgiveness, we light candles in the darkness, empowered by the Jubilee’s grace (Spes Non Confundit, 14).
Conclusion: A World Reimagined Through Peace, Justice, and Truth
The 2025 Jubilee Year, proclaimed by Spes Non Confundit, calls every Franciscan to live peace, justice, and truth. Pope Leo XIV’s Address to the Diplomatic Corps and teachings in Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si’ inspire us to be instruments of renewal. Inspired by St. Francis and united as a fraternity, let us proclaim with our lives that a world built on Gospel values is possible—one of hope, mercy, and love.
Pax et Bonum
Mike
