by Bro. Aberto Parise MCCJ
This year 2025 we celebrate an ordinary Jubilee that focuses on Hope. In the first place, we find hope in God’s grace, that we experience in God’s mercy and forgiveness. But we are also called to discover hope in the signs of the times that the Lord gives us. In particular, Spes non confundit makes some specific appeals of hope a sings of our time, namely:
= Hunger is a scandal, an open wound on the body of our humanity, therefore it summons all of us to a serious examination of conscience (SNC 16) and to take concrete steps towards its eradication.
= The ecological debt of affluent nations calls for their recognition of the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. More than a question of generosity, this is a matter of justice, in consideration of commercial imbalances with effects on the environment and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time.
The Jubilee calls for reparations, in order to prepare a path to peacein our world. That is an appeal to commit ourselves to remedying the remote causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable debts, and feeding the hungry. (SNC 16)
Religious life serves as a living sign—a prophetic witness—of the values of the Gospel and of the Kingdom of God, making visible, here and now, God’s will and vision for humanity, which is expressed in the Word of God. If we look at the demands of the Biblical Jubilee, we find guidance and inspiration on how to turn hope into action in the current world system.
The Call of the Biblical Jubilee
The Biblical tradition of the Jubilee invites the people of God to conversion by restoring right relationships and an egalitarian society where human dignity and fraternity are respected and promoted. In particular, it envisaged:
= Restoration of land: properties that had been sold or transferred were returned to their original owners, ensuring that families maintained their source of livelihood and their socio-cultural identity.
= Liberation of slaves: those who had sold themselves into slavery because of debt were freed, reaffirming the dignity and freedom of every person and calling for fraternity within an egalitarian society.
= Remission of debts: debts were cancelled, allowing those who had fallen into poverty to start over without the burden of financial obligations. This emphasized the importance of mercy and solidarity, offering everyone a chance for a new beginning.
= Rest for the land: this meant freedom from systems of accumulation and exploitation, while promoting the sharing of what divine providence provides for the basic needs of all. When the little that is available is shared, there is enough for everyone.
These measures were not only economic but held deep theological meaning: God as the one true owner of the land and liberator of God’s people. Ultimately, it was about returning to God’s dream for humanity; a dream humanity departs from when it builds a society based on the accumulation of wealth and resources, domination, and violence against others, often cloaked in religious justification. In contrast, the Jubilee envisions an alternative society founded on sharing, service, nonviolence, and a relationship with God who hears the cry of the poor.
Significance of the Jubilee in the Current Geopolitical Scenario
Today the world is facing a polycrisis, namely, the presence of mutually influencing diverse crises. As LS 139 put it,
We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.
On one hand, we have the climate crisis, with devastating impacts; on the other hand we are in a situation that pope Francis defined as a piecemeal 3rd World War. There seems to remain no red-lines to contain conflicts, and the arms race has peaked up to unprecedented levels, creating more debt and diverting resources from social services and from mitigation, adaptation and reparation in relation to climate change. The multilateral, diplomatic approach to solving global problems and conflicts has waned, and the world has entered a phase in which the logic of “might is right”, of extermination and impunity prevail. Human and peoples’ rights are neglected or trampled upon, and inequalities continue to grow, as a result of unjust economic structures, pushing ever more people below the poverty line and the Planet beyond its own regenerative capacity.
Against such a backdrop, the call of the Biblical Jubilee is very relevant and meaningful: it is a call to reparation for an unjust, unsustainable, and sinful socio-economic and political system. Laudate Deum called for a pilgrimage of reconciliation with the world that is our home (LD 69), building peace with Creation and among peoples.
The Prophetic Call of Religious Life
Religious life is a prophetic sign because it represents a radical commitment to Christ. Religious men and women offer a countercultural witness in a world dominated by such a sinful socio-economic system; they are called to raise a prophetic critique of social injustices, war, exploitation, and environmental degradation. Through their lives and ministries, they are called to awaken consciences and promote the dignity of every person, of every people, and of the whole of Creation. Consecrated persons live and work among the poor, marginalized, and suffering. This solidarity is prophetic because it reveals the heart of God for the least and reminds the Church and the world of the preferential option for the poor. But such a prophecy is incomplete without a commitment to systemic change, which is precisely what the Biblical Jubilee calls for.
Turning Hope into Action in Today’s World
When we talk of systemic change we mean a radical transformation of social structures and of the mentality, of the culture, that underpins them. We need not be disheartened because of the magnitude and complexity of the crisis we are facing. But, as Laudate Deum (LD 36) underscored,
“it continues to be regrettable that global crises are being squandered when they could be the occasions to bring about beneficial changes. This is what happened in the 2007-2008 financial crisis and again in the Covid-19 crisis.”
and that
For there to be solid and lasting advances, I would insist that, “preference should be given to multilateral agreements between States”. (LD 34)
True, the multilateral approach in recent years has come to a paralysis, therefore the current challenge is to reconfigure and recreate it, taking into account the new world situation.
Despite all limitations and shortcomings, there is still a place where this can happen, namely, the annual Conferences of Parties on Climate Change, or COPs. The Parties are the States who signed the climate agreements, like the Paris Agreement in 2015, currently they are 197 plus the European Union. Every year we see how slow and disappointing is the progress made. Conflicting, selfish interests of Parties easily block a process that is based on consensus. Above all, the elephant in the room is that unless we change the current model of development, which is based on an extractive economy aiming at maximizing profits, at the expense of social and environmental considerations, there is no solution to the climate crisis. The current challenge, therefore, is to reconfigure and recreate this space, taking into account the new world situation (LD 37). Pope Francis, in fact, advocated for a new model of multilateralism, one which recognizes that “many groups and organizations within civil society help to compensate for the shortcomings of the international community, its lack of coordination in complex situations, and its lack of attention to fundamental human rights” (LD 37). Civil society organizations and indigenous peoples already can participate as observers in COPs. Religious Congregations are called to journey along with them in advocating for climate justice.
The Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home
Inspired by both Laudato Si’ and Pope Leo XIV’s call to live an integral ecology with justice, the episcopal conferences and councils of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean (ECAALAC) have issued a message on occasion of COP30, addressed to government leaders, urging them to work for an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement for the benefit of people and planet. They raise a prophetic voice calling for peace through an ecological conversion that transforms the current model of development based on extractivism, technocracy and the commodification of nature. In line with the Bishops’ position, Catholic Religious Congregations are raising their voices for climate justice and calling on governments to act boldly at the UN climate meeting that will take place in Brazil (from 11th to 22nd November 2025), also known as COP30.
Religious Congregations’ Advocacy Campaign for COP30
With reference to the ongoing negotiations, Catholic religious groups have four key demands in order to respond to the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth for climate justice, namely:
| Demand of the Campaign for COP30 | Biblical Jubilee |
| 1. Cancel the debts of Countries “that will never be able to repay them” (LD 16) | Remission of debts |
| 2. Strengthen the Loss & Damage Fund | Restitution of land / restoring the means of survival of impoverished people |
| 3. Establish targets for a just energy transition | Rest for the land in order to grant freedom from systems of accumulation and exploitation |
| 4. Set concrete goals to develop a global food sovereignty system based on agro-ecological practices | Restoration of the land and liberation from enslaved labour |
Conclusion
These calls relate closely to the discussions that will take place at COP30 in Belém (11-22 November 2025). Religious Orders and Congregations, inspired by the Social Teaching of the Church, invite all people of goodwill— other religious groups and communities, civil society groups, and individuals—to join this campaign for climate justice, which is going to be presented in detail by the next speaker. Together, our shared efforts can help protect our planet, defend the most vulnerable and ensure a hopeful future for generations to come. As Pope Francis stated at the end of Laudate Deum (LD 60):
May those taking part in the Conference be strategists capable of considering the common good and the future of their children, more than the short-term interests of certain countries or businesses. In this way, may they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame. To the powerful, I can only repeat this question: “What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power, only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?”
