In a Sunday television interview, Pope Francis emphasized that hope and forgiveness are at the root of the 2025 Jubilee.
Francis began the celebration of Christmas by opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Dec. 24, 2024, kicking off the 2025 Holy Year.
Speaking to Italian television host Fabio Fazio during a conversation on Fazio’s Che Tempo Che Fa program on Sunday, the pope was asked about how the Jubilee is “above all an occasion to ask for and obtain forgiveness.”
“I like to think and say one thing: God never tires of forgiving. Never!” Francis replied.
“We are the ones who tire of asking for forgiveness. God always forgives: Always! And put this in your head, in your heart: God always forgives! We just must knock on the door. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven; there isn’t. Because God wants to have everyone with Him – as children, as brothers together. We must learn this well,” he said.
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When asked by Fazio if there is a lack of hope in today’s world, Francis there is “a little.”
“Often the philosophy of Turandot [a famous Italian opera] comes to us: Hope that always disappoints… No, hope never disappoints! Hope is the anchor to the beach, and we cling to the rope. Always. Hope does not disappoint. It is the virtue going every day; it is the daily virtue. I do this because I hope for something,” the pope said.
He also spoke about his decision to put a Holy Door in the Rebibbia Prison.
“I wanted to do that because I always carry prisoners in my heart. When I was in the other diocese [the archdiocese of Buenos Aires in Argentina], every Holy Thursday I went to wash the feet in a prison; I do it here too… The first year as pope, I went to Rebibbia to wash the feet, because they make me feel tender,” Francis said.
“We all have falls in life and one fall leads you to another and then it can lead you to crime, to do something bad. And if we have been saved, we must give thanks and go to them, to give comfort, to accompany them in their trials,” he explained.
“Prisoners… It is one of the things that Jesus says about entering Heaven: ‘I have been in prison and you visited me.’ Do not forget the prisoners. Many who are outside are more guilty than them. Do not forget,” the pope said.
Francis also told Fazio that human nature “is good.”
“It has the ability to move forward. It is good. God made it good. Genesis says: ‘God saw that everything was good.’ It is good,” he said.
“Let us think of the story of Cain: it is good, but it is free. It is capable of doing harm, when passions lead you against harmony. The greatest sin is always against harmony, the harmony that the Holy Spirit creates. Cain breaks harmony with his brother. The Tower of Babel breaks harmony between people. When harmony is broken, it is a bad thing,” the pope said.
Fazio also asked the pontiff about the relationship between Divine Providence and human free will.
“Providence is the paternal hand of God that accompanies you in life. He takes us by the hand, always. We may not realize it, but He takes us and carries us forward. He always carries you forward,” Francis said.
“Free will for me is the greatest honor that God has given us. God teaches you things, but He wants you free. Totally free,” the pope said.
However, Fazio intervened by saying freedom can sometimes be “a great burden.”
Francis acknowledged this was also true.
“A great burden. But we have the possibility of forgiveness. You make a mistake, and He forgives you. He never tires of forgiving. He always takes us by the hand,” the pope said.
The pontiff also said those visiting Rome during the Jubilee year must come as pilgrims, not tourists.
“If you come to Rome and go to the Holy Door as a tourist, without a religious sense, it is useless. But if you go with this Holy Door that you have inside you and that you must pass through, you must convert,” he said.
“The word is ‘convert,’ change your lifestyle, at least repent. Many times, you cannot change but there is repentance. This is bad, this is not right: This changes the heart, slowly. The Jubilee is changing the heart, making it more human, closer to the heart of the Lord. Allowing the Lord to give us the Holy Spirit and change our heart,” Francis said.
Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome
