By Christopher Wells

“Only from genuine conversion at all levels – personal, local and international – can true peace flourish,” says the statement of the Dicastery for Integral Development on the theme of the 2025 World Day of Peace. The Dicastery adds that peace comes not only from the end of conflicts, “but also from a new reality in which wounds are healed and the dignity of every human being is recognized.”

World Peace Day is celebrated every year on January 1st.stthe Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since its establishment in 1967 by Pope Paul VI, the Popes have used the occasion to deliver messages for each day that offer instructive reflections on topics such as the United Nations, human rights, diplomacy and economic development.

The theme chosen by the Holy Father for the World Day of Peace 2025 is “Forgive us our sins, grant us your peace” and corresponds to “the biblical and ecclesiastical understanding of the Jubilee Year”.

Hope and forgiveness at the heart of the anniversary

In its statement, the dicastery says that the theme is inspired by the encyclical letters of Pope Francis Laudato yes And Brothers all“and above all through the concepts of hope and forgiveness which are at the heart of the Jubilee Year, a time of conversion which calls us not to condemn but to build reconciliation and peace”.

The Dicastery further states: “Considering the reality of the conflicts and social sins that afflict humanity today, in the light of the hope for the forgiveness of sins and remission of debts inherent in the Jubilee tradition, together with the reflections of the Church Fathers on this theme, concrete principles emerge that can lead to much-needed spiritual, social, economic, environmental and cultural change.”