By Kristina Millare
Vatican City, Dec 31, 2024 / 17:50 pm
Pope Francis celebrated first vespers for the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, encouraging reflection and gratitude for the “universal vocation” of Rome on the last day of 2024.
“Rome is called to welcome everyone so that everyone can recognize themselves as children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves,” the Holy Father said during a brief homily following the vespers reading (cf. Gal 4:4-5).
More than 30 million people are expected to visit Rome during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which concludes on Jan. 6, 2026, according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
Expressing gratitude for the work of thousands of men and women during the opening days of the jubilee year, the pope highlighted their efforts in welcoming pilgrims, aligning with Rome’s vocation to bring people together with “the hope of a fraternal world.”
“It is beautiful to think that our city in recent months has become a construction site for this purpose,” the pope noted. “To welcome men and women from all over the world, Catholics, Christians of other confessions, believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice, and peace, all pilgrims of hope and fraternity.”
