Additional Coverage:
- Pope Leo calls for Christians to treat foreigners with kindness as he closes Catholic Holy Year (foxnews.com)
Pope Leo XIV Closes Holy Year with Call for Compassion and Kindness
Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV officially closed the Catholic Church’s Holy Year on Tuesday, delivering a powerful message urging Christians worldwide to extend a helping hand to those in need and embrace foreigners with kindness.
Speaking at a Vatican ceremony, Pope Leo, who has consistently emphasized the importance of supporting immigrants throughout his papacy, reflected on the record-breaking 33.5 million pilgrims who visited Rome during the Holy Year. He challenged attendees to have learned not to view individuals as mere “products.”
“Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything,” Pope Leo stated. “After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner?”
Holy Years, also known as jubilees, typically occur every 25 years and are considered a sacred time of peace, forgiveness, and pardon. Pilgrims to Rome during these periods have the unique opportunity to enter special “Holy Doors” at four Roman basilicas and attend papal audiences.
Pope Leo formally marked the conclusion of the Holy Year by shutting the special bronze door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning.
The next Holy Year is not anticipated until 2033, when the Catholic Church may host a special jubilee to commemorate 2,000 years since the death of Jesus.
Vatican and Italian officials reported on Monday that pilgrims for the 2025 jubilee hailed from 185 countries. The majority of visitors came from Italy, the United States, Spain, Brazil, and Poland.
The 2025 jubilee holds a rare historical significance, having been opened by the late Pope Francis, who passed away in April, and closed by Pope Leo, who was elected in May. This marks a first in 300 years for a Holy Year to span two different pontificates. The last such occurrence was in 1700, when Innocent XII opened the Holy Year that was subsequently closed by Clement XI.
Pope Leo, who has pledged to uphold his predecessor’s key policies, including welcoming gay Catholics and discussing women’s ordination, echoed Pope Francis’ frequent critiques of the global economic system in his remarks on Tuesday. He noted that markets “turn human yearnings of seeking, traveling and beginning again into a mere business.”