Proclaim Jubilee!
Sign the Petition and Organize a Public Prayer Service during Oct. 12-19.
We invite you to Proclaim Jubilee! – a powerful opportunity to carry on Pope Francis’s call to “remedy the remote causes of injustice,” as our late Holy Father said at the beginning of 2025, by taking actions to turn debt into hope for countries in the Global South strapped by debt repayments to the World Bank, IMF and others.
What is Jubilee
The year 2025 is a Jubilee year in the Catholic Church. The Bible instructs us to proclaim Jubilee in Leviticus 25, as a command for social justice and liberation, emphasizing freedom for captives, return of land, and cancellation of debts every 50 years. These actions serve as a reminder of God’s ultimate mercy and freedom for all people, a theme echoed and fulfilled by Jesus in Luke 4, who proclaimed Jubilee as the year of God’s favor and liberty for all.
Sign the Petition
Add your name to the “Turn Debt into Hope” petition to world leaders asking them to create new ways to solve the debt crisis for the more than 50 countries forced to spend more on debt repayments to international creditors than on schools, hospitals, or protecting their communities from the worsening impacts of the climate emergency. This is more important than ever now that the United States has cut foreign aid for humanitarian assistance and development programs around the world.
Take action October 12-19
Join the Proclaim Jubilee! Initiative. We invite groups worldwide to bring this global ‘proclamation’ to their community during October 12–19, to coincide with the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington, DC, where leaders and policymakers will discuss solutions to the global debt crisis. Let your community know that we have a plan for hope for millions of people living in poverty caused by sovereign debt.
Participation in Proclaim Jubilee! is simple. All you need is a group of people and some way to include a horn. We recommend choosing a public location to make visible this call.
★ STEP ONE: Start with a prayer or a reflection on the meaning of Jubilee, such as Pope Francis’s Jubilee proclamation and the Turn Debt into Hope petition prayer.
★ STEP TWO: Offer a few quick facts and Maryknoll missioner stories about the impacts of the global debt crisis.
★ STEP THREE: Take a moment of silence to honor the suffering of those trapped in poverty by sovereign debt.
★ STEP FOUR: Sound a horn – this can be a shofar, trumpet, bugle, air horn, or any other creative symbol of jubilee
★ STEP FIVE: Invite participants and observers to sign the Turn Debt into Hope petition
★ STEP SIX: Send photos and recordings of the event to Lisa Sullivan, lsullivan@maryknollogc.org, and post on social media with the hashtag #ProclaimJubilee!2025
Please join us in this collective action, wherever you are!
**For those in the Washington DC area** We invite you to a public Proclaim Jubilee event on Wednesday, October 15 at 12noon at Community Park at 19th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in front of the World Bank.
Your prayers, your voice, your signature—each one carries the message of Jubilee further. Together, we can turn debt into hope for billions of people.
Proclaim Jubilee! was developed by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns in collaboration with the Jubilee USA Network, and consultation with Rabbi Matthew Cutler, Co-Chair of Jubilee USA, for his guidance on the Jewish tradition of Jubilee and the shofar.