Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, delivered a pro-life message to start the 2025 Jubilee year and called on Catholics to entrust the year to the Virgin Mary. In his first homily of the New Year at St. Peter’s Basilica on January 1, 2025, during the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Pope emphasized the importance of respecting human life “from conception to natural death.” He also urged the faithful to dedicate 2025 to Mary, the Mother of God.
“Mary, the young woman of Nazareth, reminds us that Jesus came in the flesh, and that we encounter Him above all in our daily life, in our own frail humanity and that of all those whom we encounter each day,” the pontiff said.
The pro-life message is one of many made by Pope Francis during his pontificate. He has even gone as far as calling abortion practitioners “hitmen” during a trip to Belgium last year. However, the Pope has at times also called American Catholic conservatives “backward” in their political beliefs, and he opened the door to same-sex individuals receiving blessings from the Church.
“May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying,” he stressed.
In his homily, the Pope described the characteristics of God’s relationship with humanity as mercy, closeness, and compassion. He encouraged the faithful to recognize God’s presence in everyday encounters and emulate Jesus’ actions toward the vulnerable and weak.
