Pope Francis called on Thursday for new international agreements to reduce the debt burden faced by low-income countries and shift spending from arms and military equipment to the eradication of global hunger.

Pope Francis is calling on wealthy countries and institutions to substantially reduce if not outright cancel debt as a matter of justice on the occasion of the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year

In the year 2000, then-Pope John Paul II appealed to leaders of wealthy nations, asking them to forgive the debt of poorer countries in the spirit of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee year — a time the church sets aside for forgiveness of sins and debt.

Pope Francis has issued an urgent appeal to wealthier nations to drastically reduce or eliminate poorer countries' debts, framing it as a question of justice. As the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee Year approaches,

Pope Francis called for debt relief for the poor countries of the South of the globe and the universal abolition of the death penalty in his message for World Peace Day 2025, which takes place on January 1.