This was the final moment of the Jubilee of Hope.
Pope Francis opened the Holy Door; Pope Leo has closed them, concluding one of the most important spiritual events for the Catholic Church in the 21st Century.
It was the Feast of the Epiphany, a celebration of the arrival of the Magi — also known as the Three Kings — to Bethlehem. In his homily, the Pope defined what peace means for those who seek it.
POPE LEO XIV
Loving and seeking peace means protecting what is holy and, consequently, that which is newly born like a small, vulnerable, fragile baby.
He also encouraged the Catholic faithful to reflect on whether the Jubilee has taught us to move away from distorted mentalities.
POPE LEO XIV
Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything. We see how the marketplace can turn human yearnings of seeking, traveling and beginning again into a mere business. Let us ask ourselves: has the Jubilee taught us to flee from this type of efficiency that reduces everything to a product and human beings to consumers?
Speaking about the Magi for the Feast of the Epiphany, he issued a reminder: they still exist today, but not in the way you might think.
POPE LEO XIV
The Magi still exist: they are the people who accept the challenge of taking risks, each undertaking their own journey, and who, in a troubled world like ours, appaling and dangerous in many respects, feel the need to set out, to search.
Thousands of people took part in this liturgical celebration. Afterwards the Pope appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's to pray the Angelus with the faithful.
