By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, Jan 1, 2025 / 06:35 am
Pope Francis kicked off 2025 with a powerful message of peace and the importance of protecting human life. In his New Year’s Day homily, he called for a strong commitment to uphold the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
Delivering his message at St. Peter’s Basilica during Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, which coincided with the 58th World Day of Peace, the pope stressed the dignity of every individual “born of woman.”
“Protecting life, tending to wounded life, and restoring dignity to the life of every ‘born of woman’ form the essential foundation for constructing a peaceful civilization,” Francis emphasized in his homily.
The pontiff linked the themes of peace and human dignity to the celebration of Mary’s divine motherhood, underscoring how Christ’s birth, being “born of woman,” reveals God’s presence in human vulnerability.
“If He, who is the Son of God, became so small as to be cradled in a mother’s arms, nurtured, and cared for, it signifies that today he is also present among us in all those who require similar care,” said the pope.
The Mass also signaled the start of the Jubilee Year, inaugurated on Christmas, with Francis highlighting that “Mary is the gateway through which Christ entered this world,” citing St. [Author]’s words.
