A new year, a new beginning, a time for change

Beginning of a new year is not just a date on the calendar, or a milestone marking the end of a year and the start of a new one. It is a pivotal point that chronicles the passage of time in the lives of people and in the destinies of nations. The new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and to look forward to the year ahead with hope.

A new year presents us with endless possibilities; to learn from past experiences, to start afresh, to explore new paths, and to set new goals, to fulfill dreams, to create the life we want on our own terms. It is a moment to commit ourselves to achieving the goals we set, and to consider any potential challenges to achieving these goals, not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for personal growth and positive change.

On 1 January, the world marked New Year with fireworks and celebrations in cities and towns across the world. Despite the distances and time zones that separated people, the sentiment of hope and renewal that resonates with the coming of a new year, was evident among people everywhere. New Year festivities serve as a poignant reminder that though we live in different countries, speak different languages, practice different faiths, we are all interconnected, as members of one human family with a common destiny, sharing this one planet we all call home.

Today, more than ever, we need to celebrate and promote this commonality and solidarity of humanity. However, to build this harmony among people everywhere, the world needs peace, which is not just the passive absence of conflicts and wars, but an active relationship that requires cooperation, compassion, and a willingness to address differences without resorting to violence.
Peace requires working together as one, transcending the limitations of national boundaries, of cultures, languages and religions, and learning to live in harmony with one another. Peace can only be achieved when people and nations move from individualism, parochialism and fundamentalism, and avoid the toxic culture of competitiveness and militarization over borders, influence, and hegemony.

In his message to the world on the 58th World Day of Peace, observed by the Catholic Church on 1 January of each year since 1967, His Holiness Pope Francis emphasized this need for global peace and solidarity among people everywhere.

“At the dawn of this New Year, I offer heartfelt good wishes of peace to every man and woman. I think especially of those who feel downtrodden, burdened by their past mistakes, oppressed by the judgment of others and incapable of perceiving even a glimmer of hope for their own lives.”

Throughout this year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee Year, a practice that the Church adopted at the turn of the 14th century, proclaiming every forty-ninth year as a year of forgiveness and freedom for the entire people. The Jubilee year was meant to restore justice in every aspect of life: in the use of the land, in the possession of goods and in relationships with others, above all for the poor and the dispossessed.

“The ‘Jubilee’ reminded everyone, rich and poor alike, that no one comes into this world doomed to oppression,” said Pope Francis, adding, “We are all brothers and sisters, sons and daughters born to live in freedom and without being exploited.” Pointing to the “inhuman treatment meted out to migrants, the environmental decay, the confusion willfully created by disinformation, the refusal to engage in any form of dialogue, and the immense resources spent on the industry of war,” the pope said that together these, “represent a threat to the existence of humanity”,
Emphasizing that sporadic acts of philanthropy are not enough and that cultural and structural changes are necessary, so that enduring change may come about, Pope Francis stated: “The celebration of the Jubilee spurs us to make a number of changes in order to confront the present state of injustice and inequality by reminding ourselves that the goods of the earth are meant not for a privileged few, but for everyone.

“The international system, unless it is inspired by a spirit of solidarity and interdependence, gives rise to injustices that leave the poorer countries trapped. A mentality that exploits the indebted can serve as a shorthand description of the present ‘debt crisis’ that weighs upon a number of countries, above all in the global South.

“People already burdened by international debt, find themselves also forced to bear the burden of the ‘ecological debt’, incurred by the more developed countries. In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, I urge the international community to work towards forgiving foreign debt in recognition of the ecological debt existing between the North and the South of this world. This is an appeal for solidarity, but above all for justice.”

In a further appeal for the sake of future generations, the pontiff observed, “In this time marked by wars, let us use at least a fixed percentage of the money earmarked for armaments to establish a global fund to eradicate hunger and facilitate in poorer countries educational activities aimed at promoting sustainable development and combating climate change.”

Expanding on the theme of peace, His Holiness declared, “May 2025 be a year in which peace flourishes. May we seek the true peace that is granted by God to hearts disarmed: hearts not set on calculating what is mine and what is yours; hearts that turn selfishness into readiness to reach out to others; hearts that see themselves as indebted to God and thus prepared to forgive the debts that oppress others; hearts that replace anxiety about the future with the hope that every individual can be a resource for the building of a better world.”

Disarming hearts, said the pope, is a job for everyone, great and small, rich and poor alike, and that “at times, something quite simple will do, such as a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed. With such gestures, we progress towards the goal of peace. We will arrive all the more quickly if, in the course of journeying alongside our brothers and sisters, we discover that we have changed from the time we first set out.”

Pope Francis concluded his message by noting that “peace does not only come with the end of wars but with the dawn of a new world, a world in which we realize that we are different, closer and more fraternal than we ever thought possible.” Offering his blessings to the world, Pope Francis stated: “Lord, grant us your peace! This is my prayer to God as I now offer my cordial good wishes for the New Year to the Heads of State and Government, to the leaders of International Organizations, to the leaders of the various religions and to every person of good will.”

In a world mired by conflict, inequalities and discrimination, we can all be advocates for peace in our own ways by embracing diversity, working to promote dialogue, empathy, and respect for others, and ensuring human rights for all. The new year offers a chance for change, which remains the only constant in life. You are not the person today that you were at the beginning of last year, just as you will not be the person you are now, at the end of this year. Let us celebrate the new year and welcome the changes it brings.