The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father Francis to the participants in the Sixth International Conference “Por el Equilibrio del Mundo”, taking place in La Habana, Cuba, from 28 to 31 January 2025:

Message of the Holy Father

Esteemed delegates,

As many of you probably know, 2025 is a Jubilee Year, a year of grace according to the ancient tradition of the people of Israel, which presented itself as an opportunity to restore peace and social fraternity, through forgiveness and reconciliation. Significantly, I wanted to dedicate this Jubilee to the theme of hope as an appeal to all people of good will, for I believe that, regardless of our beliefs, “in the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come” (Bull Spes non confundit, 1).

In this way, hope is revealed as a very appropriate value for this forum held in La Habana, because, thanks to its aspiration to be open, plural and multidisciplinary, it has the capacity to look into the reasons that move the heart of today's humankind. It is hope, which gives us, as Christians, faith and love for Jesus Christ, that allows us to “desire to share in His sufferings by offering Him the sufferings, the struggles, the disappointments and the fears that are part of [the] lives” of every person and every society (cf. Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos, 157).

Our “hope is born of love and based on love” (Bull Spes non confundit, 3). A love that calls us to build on the ruin we have left in this world by our sins, a new civilization of love, so that amid the devastation wrought by evil, we may cooperate in restoring goodness and beauty (cf. Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos, 182).

In the Bull of indiction of the Jubilee, I proposed a series of signs and appeals for hope, which on the social and cultural level we can take up as men and women of good will, rediscovering this precious virtue in the signs of the times that the Lord offers us, paying attention to “the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence” (Bull Spes non confundit, 7).

May this certainty impel us to work hard so that this hope may be translated into “peace in the world, which once more finds itself immersed in the tragedy of war” (ibid., 8), abandoning the logic of violence and committing ourselves to dialogue and the work of diplomacy in order to courageously and creatively build negotiating spaces for lasting peace (cf. ibid.). This commitment will not succeed if it does not enable everyone, prevented from opening up to life with enthusiasm “as a result of today’s frenetic pace, fears about the future, the lack of job security and adequate social policies, and social models whose agenda is dictated by the quest for profit rather than concern for relationships” (ibid., 9), to look to the future with hope.

To be praised are all the initiatives that seek to open up ways for “those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind” (ibid., 10), regardless of the cause, so that institutions and society as a whole, with the collaboration of all social actors, can take initiatives and paths that restore their confidence in themselves and in society. The poor and the sick, the young and the elderly, migrants and displaced people, even those deprived of their freedom, must be at the centre of our considerations, so that no one is excluded and everyone's human dignity is respected. The same applies to the volunteers and professionals who work in these fields, so that they may always have adequate means to bring this encouragement on behalf of all of humanity.

Jesus says in the parable of the final judgment: “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). As believers in Jesus Christ, this call invites us to recognize in every man and woman the image of God, called to be brothers and sisters and to form part of the human family and the family of the children of God. Even outside the sphere of faith, this affirmation retains its full force, for we are all called to live in fraternal gratuitousness and everything we do for others has repercussions for us as individuals and as a society (cf. Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, 140). Let us learn this lesson from love, building hope in that balance that seeks that all may have what is necessary, teaching us to share with the poor, and to open ourselves with generous welcome to others, so that we may know how to contribute to the common good with what we are. May these wishes help you in the work you undertake for a more just and fraternal society.

Vatican, 22 November 2024

FRANCIS