By Juliana Uzoka
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced that the Holy Father, Pope Francis has chosen “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace,” as the theme for the 2025 World Day of Peace.
In light of the conflicts that have engulfed much of the world – most notably, the Russian – Ukraine war, Isreali – Palestinian conflict, and ongoing violence in Myanmar and other regions – the Pope has consistently maintained that “war is a defeat.”
The theme, drawn from the Lord’s Prayer, corresponds to “the biblical and ecclesial understanding of the Jubilee Year,” according to a statement released by the Dicastery on Thursday.
“Only from a genuine conversion on all levels – personal, local and international – will true peace be able to flourish,” the statement continued.
The Dicastery further emphasized that the pathway to peace involves more than just ending conflicts, it requires “…a new reality in which wounds are healed and each person’s dignity is recognized.”
The World Day of Peace, an annual event, celebrated every year on January 1, was initiated by Pope St Paul VI, IN 1967, for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Over the years, it has become rooted in magisterial reflections, addressind issues related to the United Nations, human rights, diplomacy, and economic development.
Inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical letters Laudato si and Fratelli tutti, the Dicastery also highlighted“ the concepts of Hope and Forgiveness, which are at the heart of the Jubilee, a time for conversion that calls us not to condemn, but instead to bring about reconciliation and peace”.
The statement concluded by adressing “…the reality of conflicts and social sins afflicting humanity today in light of the hope inherent in the Jubilee tradition of the forgiveness of sins and the cancellation of debts, together with the reflections of the Fathers of the Church in this regard, concrete principles emerge that can lead to a much needed spiritual, social, economic, ecological and cultural change”.
TWE Media Network 
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