Pope Francis has led the world's Roman Catholics into Christmas saying the story of Jesus' birth as a poor carpenter's son instils hope that all people can make an impact in the world. or signup to continue reading Francis, celebrating the 12th Christmas of his pontificate, presided at a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and opened the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican expects will bring some 32 million tourists to Rome next year. In a sermon focused on the virtue of hope, which is also the theme of the Holy Year, the pontiff said hope "is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness". "Hope calls us ... to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them," he said. A Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. They normally occur every 25 years. Pilgrims coming to Rome during the year can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins. This Jubilee will run through to January 6, 2026. At the beginning of Tuesday's ceremony, Francis oversaw the opening of a special bronze-panelled "Holy Door" at St. Peter's, which is only open during Jubilee years. The Vatican expects up to 100,000 pilgrims to walk through the door each day next year. At the papal Mass for an estimated 6,000 people in St. Peter's Basilica and 25,000 more watching on screens in the square outside, the pope also repeated an earlier call for developed nations to use the Jubilee to reduce the debt burden faced by low-income countries. "The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world," said the pontiff. "A time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new." 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. Francis, who turned 88 this month, has been suffering from what the Vatican has described as a cold. He appeared on good form Tuesday evening, although his voice was a little raspy. On Wednesday, the pope will deliver his Christmas Day message and blessing. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementIt sometimes seems that we have lost the ability to truly communicate with one another. It is not so much what we say to one another, but how we listen. Even friends can find it difficult to hear opposing views from each other. But the outcome can be rich if we can learn to listen well. It is worth it to move beyond the angry, divisive, rhetoric-driven communication that we typically hear, so we can concentrate on the real issues. For us, what started as one cup of coffee together to discuss cities’ Climate Action Plans, has morphed into years of coffee discussions about local, state, national and global political issues. In our earlier discussions, we discovered that we often had differing views on prominent issues, views often — though not always— following positions taken by opposing political parties. Here’s one example: Ken has a burning desire to ensure governments are doing all they can to stave off global warming while Nicole has a burning desire to ensure citizens know the consequences of governments’ actions in controlling global warming. Nevertheless, our discussions have always been congenial, reflecting the respect we have for each other. We have learned from each other, and each of us acknowledges that our respective positions have occasionally changed with respect to issues that we have discussed. Surprisingly for today’s culture and climate, we have remained friends, and we keep having those cups of coffee and lively discussions. No canceling here. The warm smell of java and friendship is a stronger pull than politics. Related Story: Turning the Sierra National Forest Into a National Monument But now we are faced with an issue that has brought out strong emotions in both of us, since we both have strong connections with our local forests. Like others, we have found forests to be a respite from the storms of our daily lives. The proposal in question is to convert one million acres of Sierra National Forest into monument status. It is called the Range of Light proposal, and it would designate as a national monument this large forest tract, alongside and between the boundaries of Yosemite and Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Parks. Nicole’s primary concern is about being denied access to the forests in question that she responsibly enjoys hiking each week — something she cannot always do in the nearby national parks with their reservation systems, fees, and regulations. Ken’s focus is on how the proposal might be useful in preserving the quality of the forests themselves. Monument? No Monument? Forging our way through those cups of coffee, we ultimately found that our interests are essentially aligned. It is how those interests are brought to bear in the actual management of the forest that we see things differently. It is hard to believe that anyone would not want to preserve the pristine nature of the Sierra. Yet, there are over 10,000 signatures on a petition to stop the Range of Light (Nicole is proudly one of those). So, what is the issue? Related Story: We Part Ways on Forest Issues We have brewed up a list of forest issues that are dividing us, and we surmise that if we focus on these, we may have more in common regarding the Sierra than the simple argument of “Monument or no Monument” would have us believe. These are:  Private property  Public access  Logging  Cattle grazing  Forest thinning/prescribed burning  Motorized recreation Let’s Promote Forest Health While Maintaining Access So rather than debate about Monument status, let us sit down and talk about how to promote the health of the forest while maintaining access so that many can enjoy the Sierra. We don’t yet agree on specific solutions, but we do agree that proposals such as this should be transparently and publicly debated, without shortcuts. Each of us has resolved to investigate and discuss these issues before reaching a conclusion after considering the following: What does science say? What are the trusted information sources? What are the consequences of this proposal? Throughout the process, we promise to be open-minded and respectful of all points of view and messengers. At the conclusion of our investigation, we plan to report the results to people who care about the forest and its management. We will then have another friendly cup of coffee together while debating the various topics that confront us daily.

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