Sacred Portal to be opened by Pope today, signaling start of Jubilee Year

Source: CAFOD

As evening falls on Christmas Eve, and children in the UK look to the skies for a glimpse of reindeer… the eyes of millions of Catholics will be on Pope Francis in Rome, where the opening of a 'sacred portal' will launch the 2025 'Jubilee Year of Hope'. For the first time ever, this Jubilee the series of door-openings will include one in a Roman prison, which the Pope will open on Boxing Day as a sign of restoring hope through amnesty or pardon.

A central theme of Jubilee is the cancellation of debt. 3.3 billion people around the world are forced to live in countries where the government spends more on servicing its debt than it does on health, education, or climate action - known as 'debt crisis'. The escalating crisis has seen mass-protests and riots across the global South in recent months. Pope Francis has called on affluent countries to "forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them", which he declared is "more than a matter of generosity, a matter of justice".

What does it mean for the UK?

25 years ago, with support from the last Labour government, the historic Jubilee 2000 debt campaign secured more than $100 billion of debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries. Jubilee 2025 is an essential opportunity, a quarter of a century on, to build on this progress - this time by reforming global debt structures to prevent future crises.

More than 50 countries - one in every four nations - are now in debt crisis. The number has more than doubled since 2015 and includes 93% of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries.

While the system continues to grow more unjust and unequal, the work of CAFOD and other Catholic organisations to advance biblical Jubilee principles has never been more important. The Jubilee Year brings a message of Hope. We stand with the poorest communities as we call for money to be spent on enabling them to pursue development goals and respond to the climate crisis, not paying back debts that they have already paid many times over.

Key events:

Tues 24th December First 'sacred portal' opened by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Weds 25th December Annual Urbi + Orbi message. The Pope is expected to highlight debt in his message

Thurs 26th December Prison door opened by Pope Francis inside a Roman prison. The first time in 600 years that a prison door has been included in a Jubilee launch.
Sunday 29th December Cathedral doors across England & Wales opened by Bishops and Archbishops in UK. Similar events happening around the world

Weds 1st January World Day of Peace. Pope Francis delivers a message about debt cancellation and Jubilee.