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

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 has called on all nations to eliminate the death penalty, to divert a fixed percentage of arms spending to a global fund to fight hunger and climate change, and to cancel the international debt of developing nations.

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.