As the Jubilee of Hope comes to a close, Pope Leo XIV said in his Jan. 4 Angelus address that Christian hope is rooted in God’s decision to dwell among humanity, not in optimistic predictions, and that the Incarnation places concrete responsibilities on the faithful.
Christmas, the Pontiff said, reminds the faithful of the foundation of hope: the Incarnation.
“Indeed, Christian hope is not based on optimistic forecasts or human calculations, but on God’s decision to share our journey, so that we may never be alone as we travel through life,” the Pontiff remarked. “This is God’s work: in Jesus, he became one of us, chose to remain with us, and willed to be forever God-with-us. The coming of Jesus in the weakness of human flesh rekindles our hope.”
The Incarnation, Pope Leo said, also imposes a dual commitment — to God and to one’s neighbor.
“We must be capable of contemplating, proclaiming and praying to the God who meets us in Jesus,” Pope Leo explained. “He is not a distant deity in a perfect heaven above us, but a God who is nearby and inhabits our fragile earth, who becomes present in the faces of our brothers and sisters, and reveals himself in the circumstances of daily life.”
Every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and possesses “a spark of his light,” the Pontiff remarked.
“God has become flesh; therefore, there is no authentic worship of God without care for humanity,” he said.
The faithful, Pope Leo said, are called to recognize the dignity of others, seek solidarity, and defend the weak.
After the Angelus, the Pontiff prayed for those affected by a deadly fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Vatican News reported that about 40 people were killed and roughly 115 were injured in the early-morning Jan. 1 blaze at the Le Constellation bar.
The Pontiff also expressed concern for the people of Venezuela, asking for prayers and invoking the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, the nation’s patroness, and Saints José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles, whom he canonized in October 2025, making them the country’s first saints.
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,” Pope Leo said. “This must lead to the overcoming of violence, and to the pursuit of paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country, ensuring the rule of law enshrined in its Constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each and every person, and working together to build a peaceful future of cooperation, stability and harmony, with special attention to the poorest who are suffering because of the difficult economic situation.”
In closing, the Pontiff encouraged the faithful to continue to trust in God, pray and show solidarity with those affected by war.
St. Peter’s Basilica’s Holy Door will close Jan. 6, formally marking the end of the Jubilee of Hope.
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