The goal of peace
12. Those who take the path of hope through the suggested gestures can see the longed-for goal of peace approaching. The psalmist confirms this promise: when “love and truth meet, justice and peace kiss” (Ps 85:11). When I strip myself of the weapon of credit and reopen the path of hope for a sister or brother, I contribute to the restoration of God’s justice on earth, and walk with that person towards peace. As Saint John XXIII said, true peace can only come from a heart disarmed of the anguish and fear of war.
13. May 2025 be a year of peace! A true and lasting peace that does not stop at contractual quarrels or human compromise tables. Let us seek true peace, the peace that God gives to an unarmed heart: a heart that doesn’t calculate what’s mine and what’s yours; a heart that defeats selfishness with an eagerness to reach out to others; a heart that doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge itself as God’s debtor, and is therefore ready to forgive the debts that oppress its neighbor; a heart that overcomes discouragement in the face of the future with the hope that everyone is an asset to this world.
14. Disarming the heart is a gesture that concerns everyone, from the first to the last, from the young to the old, from the rich to the poor. Sometimes, all it takes is something as simple as “a smile, a gesture of friendship, a fraternal glance, a sincere listening ear, a free service”. With these small and large gestures, we come closer to peace, and we’ll get there all the faster as, walking alongside our newfound brothers and sisters, we discover that we’ve already changed from when we started. Peace comes not just from the end of war, but from the beginning of a new world, a world in which we discover ourselves to be different, more united and more like brothers and sisters than we ever imagined.
15. Grant us your peace, O Lord! This is the prayer I raise to God, as I address my wishes for the New Year to the Heads of State and Government, to the Heads of International Organizations, to the Leaders of the various religions, to all people of good will.
Forgive us our debts, O Lord,
as we forgive our debtors,
and, in this cycle of forgiveness, grant us your peace,
the peace that only you can give
to those who let their hearts be disarmed,
to those who, with hope, want to hand over their debts to their brothers,
to those who fearlessly confess that they are your debtors,
to those who do not turn a deaf ear to the cry of the poorest.
MESSAGE FROM POPE FRANCIS ON JANUARY 1, 2025,
FOR THE 58th WORLD DAY OF PEACE