Originally published at National Catholic Register
Pilgrims from around the world have been passing through the open Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica this week.
Pope Francis called on Catholics to become “pilgrims of hope” in a BBC podcast on Friday, emphasizing that “hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel.”
Speaking just days after the opening of the Jubilee Year, the Pope emphasized that “kindness is not a diplomatic strategy” nor “a set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages” but rather “a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all to become more humble.”
“Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us toward skepticism and discouragement,” the Holy Father said in the audio message published Dec. 29.
The Pope referenced G.K. Chesterton, noting that the British writer “was also held in high esteem by the Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges.”
Francis highlighted Chesterton’s autobiographical invitation to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted.”
Speaking about the recently begun Jubilee Year, Francis concluded with “a wish for hope, which is a theological virtue, together with faith
