Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org
On December 31, 2025, as the hands of the clock overlap pointing to 12:00 midnight, people start their celebrations of the New Year globally with parties, fireworks, feasts, and toasts at midnight.
Following the New Year celebrations, people consider taking a fresh start by making personal decisions for self-improvement, while viewing the pitfalls of the past year, as well as considering new needed steps to rectify past failures and turn over a new leaf in life yearning for a roseate year.
Making an overview of the past year's events one realizes that it is abounding with miseries and catastrophes represented in wars, violence, economic recessions, poverty, forcible displacement, unemployment, and natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions among others.
All problems may find solutions, yet the cardinal disaster that inflicts humanity is war because it is the root-cause of chronic depressions and devastation that wreak havoc on humanity, since wars undermine all aspects of a normal life while adversely affecting all walks of life including economy and education in the first place which snowballs into recessions and poverty.
The year 2025, was abounding with events at the global level, yet at the local level the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM), whose slogan is "Media for Humanity", continues its vibrant activities at all levels to exude a sense of global peace that reflect concrete steps leading to common living and brotherhood by promoting the culture of encounter, dialogue, understanding, and cooperation in Jordan, the Holy Land, and the world at large; consolidating the Christian presence in the East; enhancing good citizenship, based on equality, rights and duties; promoting interaction between followers of different religions, especially Muslim-Christian dialogue; and communicating with Eastern Christians around the world among others.
During this year, the CCSM conducted several outstanding achievements among which was convening a seminar marking the 15th anniversary of the World Interfaith Harmony Week and the 5th anniversary of the International Day of Human Fraternity that highly valued the efforts undertaken by His Majesty King Abdullah II in making peace which is the other face of the coin, namely of harmony that is based on justice, legitimate rights, and the noble human values.
During the seminar, CCSM Director Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader referred to the good initiatives that were launched during the reign and under the patronage of His Majesty the King including the Amman Message, the Common Word Initiative, and the World Interfaith Harmony Week which was adopted by the United Nations, and the World Conference on Arab Christian Identity, whereby all of which are Hashemite Jordanian initiatives that entrenched Jordan as a model of brotherhood, as well as underlined its global role and mission in promoting the values of harmony and peace.
With this new year 2026 taking off the black cloak of misery and hardships with a hope of putting on a white glittering cloak that augurs a radical twist in global events leading to the emergence of real love among extends well wishes to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, to Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Iyad Twal, to all clerics and nuns, as well as to the entire humanity.
May the world shift in the New Year from war to global peace, from hunger to satiety, from despair to hope, and from injustice to firmly-rooted justice, so that people may enjoy a life under the aegis of equality and harmony.