Foreword – Jubilee 2025: Spes non confundit – Hope Does Not Disappoint
As we approach Jubilee 2025, under the banner of Spes non confundit “Hope does not disappoint” we are challenged to look beyond appearances, to listen to the cry of the poor, the land, and those caught in the shadows of power. Jubilee is not merely a religious celebration; it is a prophetic call to justice, truth, and renewal, especially in places where hope seems most threatened.
This edition of our newsletter tells stories of Hope; one from Burkina Faso, one from the hillsides of ecological renewal, and one from the geopolitical theatre of Central Africa. Yet each of them speaks to the soul of Jubilee: that true hope is forged in struggle, not sentiment; that it endures not by convenience but by conviction.
In Eastern Burkina Faso, the Béthanie Medical Centre run by the Sisters of Notre Dame des Apôtres shines as a sanctuary amid chaos. Here, in a region overrun by insecurity and displacement, thousands find refuge, healing, and dignity. The centre’s doors remain open to the sick, the hungry, and the forgotten. Despite limited resources, the Sisters continue to care for the displaced, offering not just medicine but human warmth, clean clothes, and unwavering love. This is hope incarnate. In the voice of a paralyzed man—“If God wills, I will walk again”—we hear the Gospel alive in its purest form: resilient, expectant, and unafraid of disappointment.
Hope, too, emerges in creation itself. The humble goat, through the practice of “goatscaping,” becomes a restorer of ecosystems ravaged by invasive species. Without polluting, these gentle creatures bring healing to the land, reminding us that God has woven resilience into nature and that ecological balance is still possible when we live in harmony with it. Here is hope not as wishful thinking, but as a quiet, biological truth.
But the most sobering story comes from the corridors of global power. The agreement signed on June 27, 2025, between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; brokered by the United States was heralded as a peace accord. Yet beneath its diplomatic polish lies a narrative of unhealed wounds, exploitation, and omission. The agreement fails to name the decades of Rwandan military incursions, the support to armed groups like the M23, or the pain of millions displaced, raped, or killed in Eastern Congo. The people most affected by war are left without justice, without acknowledgment, and without voice.
Can we truly call it peace without justice? Can we speak of hope while silencing truth?
The UN report released just days after the agreement lays bare what the deal hides: the ongoing Rwandan military presence, resource exploitation, and a veiled plan of annexation masked as diplomacy. The Congolese people may gain silence, but not peace. They may receive promises, but not guarantees. Their land, rich in minerals, forests, rivers and other natural resources, continues to be negotiated for without them.
Yet even here, Spes non confundit. “Hope does not disappoint”—not because the agreement is just, but because civil society rises to challenge it. Because truth still finds ways to speak. Because, as long as the memory of the victims is kept alive, peace built on lies will not stand forever. Jubilee calls us to remember that God’s justice is not a footnote, it is the foundation of lasting peace.
In the Béthanie clinic, in the footsteps of grazing goats, and in the cry of a betrayed nation, we are reminded that Christian hope is neither naïve nor silent. It is a flame that persists in the dark. It demands courage. It insists on truth. And it refuses to disappoint.
Let us, then, recommit ourselves to this hope for the earth, for the poor, and for the people of the Great Lakes region whose dignity is not negotiable.
May our hope be active, our prayers unceasing, and our hearts unshaken—for “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
By Elvis Ng’andwe (M.Afr)
