Pope Francis has spoken of creating “a world full of hope and kindness” in a recorded message broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
The head of the Catholic Church wished listeners “peace, fellowship and gratitude” in the new year as he gave the Thought for the Day on Saturday.
It comes after Francis began celebrations for the Church’s Holy Year jubilee, a centuries-old tradition that now occurs every 25 years and involves the faithful heading to Rome on pilgrimages.
Thought for the Day is a regular segment on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme which welcomes people from all the major faiths to share reflections on the world, airing at 7.45am every Monday to Saturday.
Francis was invited to deliver a message by the programme’s guest editor, Professor Irene Tracey, who is vice chancellor of the University of Oxford.
The 88-year-old, who was born in Argentina, recorded his message in Italian before it was translated into English for UK radio audiences.
In the message, Francis said: “Hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel and show us the path to follow in our behaviour. A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world.
“A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect and empathy is more humane.”
Focusing on the theme of hope, His Holiness said: “Even though we do not know what tomorrow may hold for us, we should not look to the future with pessimism and resignation.
“Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us towards scepticism and discouragement.”
Francis said kindness was “not a diplomatic strategy” but instead represented a “form of love that opens hearts to acceptance, and helps us all to become more humble”.
Quoting from the autobiography of British author G K Chesterton, the pope shared his invitation to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted”.
He added: “I hope that during this Jubilee we can practice kindness as a form of love to connect with others.
“May the New Year bring us peace, fellowship and gratitude.”
It is the second time Francis has appeared on the Thought for the Day segment, having first spoken in October 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate summit.
He is only the second pope to take part in segment, after his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas Eve in 2010.