Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Jubilee Year
Jubilee years are a very ancient tradition, and they used to happen every fifty years. In a jubilee year, people were let off their debts, slaves were set free, people in prison were released – a new life could begin for many people, what a wonderful time of relief it must have been for so many!
Nowadays, jubilees happen every twenty-five years (with extraordinary jubilees sometimes taking place, such as one quite recently in 2015-16).
The theme of this year’s jubilee is hope. It is a year of hope.
And it’s a year when we think especially of refugees.
Unfortunately, it’s quite predictable that, governments and others who deny the rights of refugees are not going to listen to Pope Francis. But, in our own lives, there’s a lot we can do to make the year a real Year of Hope for refugees.
Pope Francis writes of refugees: ‘Their expectations must not be frustrated by prejudice and rejection. A spirit of welcome, which embraces everyone with respect for his or her dignity, should be accompanied by a sense of responsibility, lest anyone be denied the right to a dignified existence. Exiles, displaced persons and refugees, whom international tensions force to emigrate in order to avoid war, violence and discrimination, ought to be guaranteed security and access to employment and education’.
At the Jesuit Refugee Service, we try to play our part in making that come true. We can arrange legal advice to make sure that the rights of refugees under international law are respected in this country. We provide practical help in finding accommodation and food. There are English lessons for those who need them. There are various activities and social events which help to provide friendship and companionship and try to integrate refugee friends into their local communities. And there are wonderful volunteers who offer befriending and accompaniment to refugee friends . All this is possible due to the generosity of people who donate money, clothing and food, and their time, to make it all happen.
A jubilee year is a time to “call for the restoration of social justice and respect for the earth”, and we all have our part to play, whether it’s through prayer, volunteering directly with people who are trying to rebuild their lives, supporting the work of organisations like JRS UK, or advocating for a fair and humane asylum system, which treats all people seeking sanctuary with compassion. Over the coming year, JRS UK will share lots of ways in which you can accompany people during the next 12 months.
So the Jubilee Year will be a year of Hope for all those seeking safety from persecution, torture and even death.
And Pope Francis is calling us all to make it happen.
Read the Bull of Indiction here
Fr Michael Smith SJ
