Pope Francis has urged people not to be drawn towards “pessimism and resignation” despite wars and social injustices throughout the world, but to retain a “gentle gaze of hope”.
The head of the Catholic church gave the Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday, wishing listeners “peace, fellowship and gratitude” for the new year and emphasising the importance of humility.
In the message, Francis said: “Hope and kindness touch the very heart of the gospel and show us the path to follow in our behaviour. A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world. A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect and empathy is more humane.”
Focusing on the theme of hope, he said: “Even though we do not know what tomorrow may hold for us, we should not look to the future with pessimism and resignation. Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us towards scepticism and discouragement.
“We choose love and love makes our hearts fervent and hopeful. Those who love, even if they find themselves in uncertain situations, always view the world with a gentle gaze of hope.”
Francis said kindness was “not a diplomatic strategy” but instead represented a “form of love that opens hearts to acceptance, and helps us all to become more humble”. He added: “How important humility is. Humility lends itself to dialogue, helps to overcome misunderstandings and generates gratitude.”
Quoting from the autobiography of British writer GK Chesterton, the pope invited people to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted”.
Francis recently began celebrations for the church’s holy year jubilee, a centuries-old tradition that now occurs every 25 years and will involves tens of millions of pilgrims heading to Rome.
“I hope that during this jubilee we can practise kindness as a form of love to connect with others,” he said. “May the new year bring us peace, fellowship and gratitude.”
The Argentina-born Francis, 88, was invited to deliver a message by the Today programme’s guest editor, Prof Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford. The regular segment welcomes people from all the major faiths to share reflections on the world. Francis recorded his message in Italian before it was translated into English for UK radio audiences.
It is the second time Francis has appeared on the Thought for the Day segment, having first spoken in October 2021 ahead of the Cop 26 climate summit.
