Pope Francis formally proclaimed on Thursday a Holy Year starting in late December, which will stress the need for hope in a world beset by hunger, poverty and war.
One of the Roman Catholic Church's most important events, the Holy Year, or Jubilee, usually takes place once every 25 years and is expected to draw some 30 million pilgrims to Rome seeking forgiveness of their sins.
In a ceremony held at St. Peter's Basilica before a massive bronze door decorated with panels depicting human sin and God's mercy, the pope presented an edict known as a papal bull outlining his vision for renewed hope for the year.
"This hope, which transcends life's fleeting pleasures and the achievement of our immediate goals, makes us rise above our trials and difficulties, and inspires us to keep pressing forward," the pope wrote in the edict.
In the 10-page document, the pope touched on many of the themes that have marked his papacy, denouncing the "scandal" of world poverty and the horror of war, while defending the rights of migrants and the need to boost birthrates in many countries.
He likewise repeated his call for an end to the death penalty, asked governments to offer amnesties to prisoners and urged debt relief for poor nations.
"If we really wish to prepare a path to peace in our world, let us commit ourselves to remedying the remote causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable debts, and feeding the hungry," his edict said.
The Jubilee will test the stamina of Francis, who turns 88 in December and has suffered repeated health problems in recent months, including abdominal surgery and regular bouts of flu.
He has been head of the nearly 1.3 billion-member Catholic Church since 2013.
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