Pope Francis Advocates Debt Forgiveness for Poor Nations in 2025 Peace Message
…Calls for Global Financial Framework Rooted in Solidarity
Pope Francis has renewed his call for debt forgiveness for impoverished nations, urging wealthier countries to consider cancelling or substantially reducing international debts to foster global development and peace.
The Catholic Pontiff made this appeal in his 2025 World Day of Peace message, observed annually on January 1.
This year’s event, themed ‘Forgive Us Our Trespasses, Grant Us Your Peace’, was marked in Lagos at the Holy Cross Catholic Cathedral, where the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, delivered the Pope’s message during a special Mass promoting peaceful coexistence.
The Pope emphasised the boundless mercy of God, urging nations to emulate divine forgiveness.
“God does not weigh up the evils we commit. Rather, He is immensely rich in mercy, for the great love with which He loved us (Eph 2:4). He hears the plea of the poor and the cry of the earth,” the Pontiff’s message stated.
He highlighted the significance of forgiveness, both spiritual and economic, in fostering hope and peace.
“At the beginning of 2025, the world is invited to pause and reflect on the mercy with which God forgives our sins and debts so that our hearts may overflow with hope and peace,” Pope Francis said.
Referencing the Lord’s Prayer, he stressed the interconnectedness of divine and human forgiveness.
“In teaching us to pray the ‘Our Father,’ Jesus starts by asking the Father to forgive our trespasses, followed immediately by the challenging words, ‘as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (cf. Mt 6:12).”
The Pontiff linked forgiveness to hope, describing it as a force that “overflows in generosity, free of calculation, making no hidden demands but raising those who have fallen, healing broken hearts, and setting free those in bondage.”
Pope Francis outlined three key proposals to restore dignity and renew hope in the lives of indebted nations.
They include: substantial reduction or outright cancellation of international debts, creation of a new financial framework grounded in global solidarity and development of a global charter fostering harmony between nations.
He reiterated a historic plea made by Saint John Paul II during the Great Jubilee of 2000, underscoring the urgent need for economic systems to prioritise human dignity over profit.
“At the start of this Year of Grace, I renew the appeal for a global effort to overcome the debt crisis threatening the future of many nations,” the Pontiff declared.
Calling on more prosperous nations to demonstrate compassion, he said, “We must enable indebted nations to set out anew on the journey of hope, realising that we are all debtors whose debts have been forgiven.”
