VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called on Thursday for new international agreements to reduce the debt burden faced by low-income countries and a shift in spending from arms and military equipment to the eradication of global hunger.

In a message linked to the 2025 Roman Catholic Holy Year, which starts on Dec. 24, the pontiff said global climate change, wars, unequal treatment of migrants and other issues "represent a threat to the existence of humanity as a whole".

"Sporadic acts of philanthropy are not enough," he said. "Cultural and structural changes are necessary, so that enduring change may come about."

Catholic Holy Years, also known as Jubilees, occur normally once every 25 years, and are considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. This one will run through Jan. 6, 2026.

The pope's Thursday call was part of his annual message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, Jan. 1.

The title of the message, which is traditionally sent to world leaders and heads of institutions such as the United Nations, is "Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace".

The pope also urged all countries to eliminate use of the death penalty, which the Catholic Church opposes.

Francis has called repeatedly over his 11-year papacy for more developed nations to forgive the debts faced by low-income countries. In the new message, the pope said many poorer nations are also facing an "ecological debt" due to the expected impacts of climate change.

"In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, I urge the international community to work towards forgiving foreign debt in recognition of the ecological debt existing between the North and the South of this world. This is an appeal for solidarity, but above all for justice," the pontiff said.

A call for direct debt cancellation made by the late Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee year in 2000 sparked a campaign that resulted in $130 billion of debt cancellation between 2000 and 2015.

Global debt at record highs

Global debt levels hit a record high of $313 trillion in 2023, with developing economies scaling a fresh peak for the ratio of debt to their gross domestic product, according to a study released earlier this year.

In 2020, the world's 20 largest economies agreed on a "Common Framework" to smooth the process of debt restructuring and help get poor countries back on their feet, but progress has been slow.

The pope proposed "creation of a global financial Charter based on solidarity and harmony between peoples," without giving specifics.

On arms spending, the pope said we are living through an era "marked by wars".

He proposed that nations around the world would give "a fixed percentage of the money earmarked for armaments to establish a global Fund to eradicate hunger" and to support efforts at sustainable development and education in developing countries. — Reuters