His Holiness Pope Francis Announces Year of Prayer Leading Up to Jubilee
At the Angelus, His Holiness Pope Francis announces a “Year of Prayer” ahead of the upcoming Jubilee, and invites the faithful to pray for Christian unity and for peace throughout the world. The Holy Father also calls for the release of a group of people, including several nuns, who were kidnapped last week in Haiti.
By Christopher Wells
His Holiness Pope Francis has announced a Year of Prayer, to prepare the Church for the upcoming Jubilee
His Holiness Pope Francis has inaugurated a Year of Prayer ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, calling on the faithful “to intensify prayer to prepare us to live well this event of grace and to experience the power of God’s hope.”
In remarks after the Angelus on Sunday 21 January 2024, the Holy Father explained that the Year of Prayer is dedicated “to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world.”
He added that the Dicastery for Evangelization will be preparing materials to assist in celebrating the Year.
Prayer for Christian unity, Peace in the World
His Holiness Pope Francis invited Christians to pray especially for Christian unity, and “to not tire of invoking the Lord for peace in Ukraine, in [Israel] and Palestine, and in so many other parts of the world,” including Ecuador.
Once again he emphasized that those who suffer most from the lack of peace are the weakest among us. “I think of the little ones,” His Holiness Pope Francis said, “the many children who are injured and killed, those who are deprived of affection, deprived of their dreams and their future.”
“Let us all be aware of our responsibility to pray and to build peace for them!”
Kidnappings in Haiti
Focusing on the Caribbean nation of Haiti, His Holiness Pope Francis said, “I have learned with sorrow the news of the kidnapping, in Haiti, of a group of people, including six religious sisters”…
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