The theme, the dicastery explained, “manifests a natural consonance with the biblical and ecclesial meaning of the jubilee year and is inspired in particular by the encyclical letters Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, especially around the concepts of hope and forgiveness, the heart of the jubilee” called by Pope Francis for the year 2025.

According to the Vatican office, the theme represents “a call to conversion, not oriented toward condemnation but toward reconciling and being reconciled.”

The dicastery noted that by “considering the reality of conflicts and social sins afflicting humanity today in light of the hope inherent in the jubilee tradition of the forgiveness of sins … concrete principles emerge that can lead to a much-needed spiritual, social, economic, ecological, and cultural change.”

“Only through a true conversion, personal, communal, and international, can true peace flourish, which is not manifested only in the end of conflicts but in a new reality in which wounds are healed and the dignity of each person is recognized,” the dicastery stated.

In previous years, the themes proposed by Pope Francis for this day have focused on artificial intelligence, dialogue between generations, the culture of care, or good politics.

An initiative of St. Paul VI

The call to observe this day was first made by St. Paul VI, who established that on Jan. 1, 1968, the Day of Peace, now the World Day of Peace, would be held.

In his first message, the pontiff expressed his belief that “this proposal interprets the aspirations of peoples, of their governments, of international organisms which strive to preserve peace in the world, of those religious institutions so interested in the promotion of peace, of cultural, political, and social movements which make peace their ideal; of youth, whose perspicacity regarding the new paths of civilization, dutifully oriented toward its peaceful developments is more lively; of wise men who see how much, today, peace is both necessary and threatened.”

The pope’s initiative preceded that of the United Nations, which in 1981 designated Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace. In 2001, the General Assembly voted unanimously to designate the day as a period of nonviolence and cease-fire.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.