Pope Francis called for global peace during his Christmas message, urging unity and an end to violence amid ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises.
In his annual “Urbi et Orbi” message, the head of the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world highlighted major conflicts around the globe in his speech.
He appealed for the “weapons in war-torn Ukraine” to go silent and called for “dialogue” for a “just and lasting peace.”
Addressing thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square, the 88-year-old Pope, with a strained voice, condemned the “disastrous humanitarian situation” in Gaza, urging a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The Argentine Jesuit also stressed the need for humanitarian aid in Sudan, which has been ravaged by conflict for 20 months.
From Myanmar to Haiti, Mali, Venezuela, and Cyprus, the Pope mentioned 18 countries, focusing in particular on the Middle East, which he described as “torn by conflicts.”
In Africa, he prayed for the “families of thousands of children dying from a measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo” and the people of “Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Mozambique.”
Reflecting on his native continent of South America, the Pope urged leaders to “work for the common good and rediscover the dignity of every person, beyond political divisions.”
He called for the “dismantling of all walls of separation: ideological walls that often mark political life, and physical walls.”
