Catholic Church in Malawi to Launch Jubilee Year on Solemnity of the Epiphany 2025

“In Malawi, all parishes are invited to officially open the Jubilee Year on Sunday, January 5, 2025, which is the Feast of Epiphany,” the country’s Catholic Bishops say.

They call upon the Clergy, women and men Religious, and the Laity to “participate in the Jubilee programs and activities to be announced soon by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi.”

ECM members also invite all Dioceses, Parishes, Small Christian Communities (SCCs), Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), Lay Movements, and Catholic institutions to “include initiatives in their 2025 programs that will enable them to meaningfully celebrate the Jubilee Year.”

In their September 5 statement that ECM President, Archbishop George Desmond Tambala of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lilongwe, signed, the Catholic Church leaders reflect on the meaning and importance of the Jubilee Year.

“Pope Francis sees the Jubilee Year as an opportunity for us to be renewed in hope, especially in a world facing challenges such as war, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis,” they say.

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Reflecting on the theme of the Jubilee Year, ECM members say that the Holy Father invites us to “renew our hope, envision a world where everyone has access to the earth's resources, and rediscover a spirituality that emphasizes our role as pilgrims on earth rather than masters of the world.”

“In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee Year is a special celebration held at least once every 25 years, during which Catholics can receive an indulgence. It was established in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII,” the Catholic Bishops explain.

They continue, “Initially meant to be celebrated every 100 years, the frequency was changed to every 50 years by Pope Clement VI in 1342 and then to every 25 years by Pope Paul II in 1470. A pope can also proclaim an Extraordinary Jubilee Year at any time, as was the case with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy called by Pope Francis in 2015.”

“The biblical foundation of the Jubilee Year can be found in the Bible (cf. Leviticus 25:8-55), where it occurred every 50 years and involved the cancellation of debts, the freeing of slaves and prisoners, a period of rest for people and the earth, and the restoration of land to the landless as a manifestation of God's mercy,” ECM members explain.

In the Catholic tradition, they continue, “a jubilee holds great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance and is aimed at encouraging holiness of life, strengthening faith, and engaging in spiritual and corporal works of mercy.” 

They note that the year-long celebration is the celebration of a “special gift of grace characterized by the forgiveness of sins and indulgence, reconciliation between adversaries, conversion, and consequently, solidarity, hope, justice, and commitment to serving God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters.”

During the Jubilee Year, ECM members further say, “Catholics are encouraged to receive the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist, and to make a pilgrimage to holy places such as basilicas in Rome, the Holy Land, or the cathedral church or shrine of the local Diocese.”

“Those who cannot make a pilgrimage can instead make a spiritual sacrifice or perform a work of mercy,” Malawi’s Catholic Bishops say in their September 5 collective statement.

They implore, “May the Light of Hope from our Lord Jesus Christ illuminate each one of you as we celebrate the Holy Year.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.