Walking in Hope
Dear friends: We begin 2025 as a Jubilee dedicated to hope. In it, we seek and promote God's liberating justice throughout the earth. We heed the "desperate plea for help" to be a voice for the many situations of exploitation, oppression, and death that affect people and nature. The goods of the earth are for all humanity. Foreign debt has become an instrument of control to satisfy the demands of the market. In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francisco invites the international community to undertake actions to remit external debt, recognizing the existence of an ecological debt between the North and the South of the world. It is a call to solidarity, but above all to justice. If we allow ourselves to be touched by these necessary changes, the Jubilee Year of Grace can reopen the path of hope, born of God's mercy and inviting us to forgive as he does: "Forgive us our trespasses, grant us your peace."
The Spanish Episcopal Conference's social project for the Jubilee focuses on the reality of human trafficking and sexual and labor exploitation. It will highlight this situation and offer resources for reflection and prayer. Guidance will also be provided for those motivated to make a commitment, with the possibility of contributing financially through the various Church entities that welcome those affected by this tragedy.
The Concerted Action of Justice and Peace Europe for Jubilee 2025 addresses the changing nature of the world of work. The Christian idea of work implies decent conditions and wages for all workers and encourages attention to the most vulnerable. The care, construction, and hospitality sectors are identified as particularly affected by demographic challenges.
On March 6, we held the webinar "The Situation in Palestine," in which Raquel Martí, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Spain, insisted on continuing to talk about Palestine to keep its memory alive. The situation is becoming more pressing once again as the televised genocide resumes after the ceasefire was interrupted.
On the back cover, we share other activities such as our support for the visit to Spain of Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; our participation in the PararLaGuerra.es movement; and our commemoration of the Women's Revolt in the Church on its fifth anniversary. Finally, we invite you to join us for the Justice and Peace Day in Tenerife, which will take place from April 25th to 27th. This event will address the migration situation in a place particularly sensitive to the arrival of small boats to Spain. How can we make public policies more just? We look forward to seeing you.
Fidel García Gutiérrez
Secretary- general