On 24th December 2024, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of the Basilica of S. Peter in the Vatican, inaugurating the Ordinary Jubilee. During the Holy Year, the Church is called to bear fruitful witness to the message of God’s love addressed to all. Also AEFJN is thus mandated to proclaim such message, in line with its mission and specific focus, namely, economic justice. That is a particular angle that resonates with the core of the biblical Jubilee tradition, outlined primarily in Leviticus 25, which centres on themes of restoration, justice, freedom, and God’s sovereignty over the land and people.

The Biblical Jubilee: A Sign of Hope
The biblical Jubilee, the ultimate sign of divine mercy, implied a profound social conversion, a transformation aimed at restoring human dignity, equality, and economic justice among the people. This biblical tradition is especially meaningful and inspiring as we ask ourselves how to be signs of hope today. Indeed, the themes of the biblical Jubilee remain highly relevant in a world dominated by an unjust and unsustainable economic-financial system—one that creates inequality and exclusion, destroys ecosystems, dangerously disrupts the climate, and drives the world toward the brink of an all-out global war.

We realize that the demands of the biblical Jubilee represent crucial measures for restoring hope to the world. The institution of the biblical Jubilee aimed to rebalance society through four main actions:
1. Restoration of land: properties that had been sold or transferred were returned to their original owners, ensuring that families maintained their source of livelihood and their socio-cultural identity.
2. Rest for the land: this meant freedom from systems of accumulation and exploitation, while promoting the sharing of what divine providence provides for the basic needs of all. When the little that is available is shared, there is enough for everyone.
3. Liberation of slaves: those who had sold themselves into slavery because of debt were freed, reaffirming the dignity and freedom of every person and calling for fraternity within an egalitarian society.
4. Remission of debts: debts were canceled, allowing those who had fallen into poverty to start over without the burden of financial obligations. This emphasized the importance of mercy and solidarity, offering everyone a chance for a new beginning.

These measures were not only economic but held deep theological meaning: God as the one true owner of the land and liberator of God’s people. Ultimately, it was about returning to God’s dream for humanity; a dream humanity departs from when it builds a society based on the accumulation of wealth and resources, domination, and violence against others, often cloaked in religious justification. In contrast, the Jubilee envisions an alternative society founded on sharing, service, nonviolence, and a relationship with God who hears the cry of the poor.

In the Gospel of Luke (4:16–21), Jesus, entering the synagogue in Nazareth, reads a passage from the prophet Isaiah and solemnly declares: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” This moment, which inaugurates His public ministry, is rich in meaning and directly connects to the concept of the biblical Jubilee described in the book of Leviticus (chapter 25), where every fiftieth year was proclaimed a “year of grace”, that is, a time of liberation, restoration, and renewal.

The prophetic text that Jesus reads—“to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives […] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”—makes explicit reference to the Jubilee year. In that God-ordained time, Israelite society was called to restore justice: slaves were freed, debts were canceled, and lands returned to rightful owners.

Jesus thus presents Himself as the living fulfillment of this proclamation. His ministry becomes the sign of a new Jubilee, no longer confined to a specific time or people, but open to all, without limits of time or space. The “year of grace” now becomes a permanent condition offered to every person: to the poor, the oppressed, the prisoners, to those living in the shadow of despair. The liberation proclaimed by Jesus is not only social, but spiritual and total: it concerns the human heart and its relationship with God and with others.

In this light, the episode in Nazareth is not merely an announcement, but the inauguration of a new era: a permanent Jubilee founded on mercy, justice, and hope. Jesus, embodying the year of grace, calls for a radical change of perspective in which salvation manifests as gift, healing, and reconciliation. In light of the Gospel, we can then see the Jubilee as a process that, beginning with the grace of forgiveness, sets in motion concrete paths of restorative justice and social transformation.

Such biblical themes connect deeply with AEFJN vsion and mission. Economic justice strongly aligns with AEFJN’s focus on advocating for a just global economy, particularly in Africa. The Jubilee tradition calls for the cancellation of debts and the restoration of lands, aiming to rebalance social inequalities and promote economic fairness. That directly speaks to AEFJN’s work, as we actively counter unjust economic systems that perpetuate inequality, land grabbing, and exploitation displacing indigenous populations in Africa. The theme of land, and its significance in African cultures and spiritualities, within a web of relationships centred around God’s love, is at the very core of our Strategic Plan. Restoration of land and communities, in view of the common good and of the care of our common home, are both a biblical perspective and AEFJN’s vision.

The Jubilee year 2025, in particular, includes a call for care of the Earth, echoing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which advocates for integral ecology. For AEFJN, environmental justice is key, particularly in the face of challenges like climate change and environmental degradation that disproportionately affect African nations. The Jubilee’s emphasis on restorative justice for the Earth aligns with AEFJN’s work in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and resisting harmful extraction industries that exploit Africa’s natural resources.
By advocating for the end of systemic exploitation, particularly in areas such as land grabbing and social and environmental rights, AEFJN embodies the Jubilee call for liberation. This aspect of freedom and liberation from economic bondage ties into AEFJN’s campaigns that focus on challenging unsustainable debt policies and unfair trade practices imposed on African nations by more powerful global actors.