Pope Francis has issued an urgent appeal to wealthier nations to drastically reduce or eliminate poorer countries' debts, framing it as a question of justice. As the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee Year approaches,

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.

Francis has called has long been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. He recently called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constituted genocide.

Pope Francis created an online uproar when he was seen unveiling the Vatican's annual nativity scene that featured a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.