Vatican City, 01 January, 2025 / 3:50 am (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis celebrated first vespers for the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, saying the last day of 2024 is a time to reflect and give thanks for the “universal vocation” of Rome.
“Rome is called to welcome everyone so that everyone can recognize themselves as children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves,” the Holy Father said during a brief homily following the vespers reading (cf. Gal 4:4-5).
According to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, more than 30 million people are expected to visit Rome during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which concludes on Jan. 6, 2026.
Expressing his gratitude for the work of thousands of men and women for the opening days of the jubilee year, the pope said their work to welcome pilgrims corresponds to the specific yet universal vocation of the Eternal City to bring people together with “the hope of a fraternal world.”
“It is beautiful to think that our city in recent months has become a construction site for this purpose,” the pope said. “To welcome men and women from all over the world, Catholics and Christians of other confessions, believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice and peace, all pilgrims of hope and fraternity.”
