Pope Francis called for the sound of arms “to be silenced in war-torn Ukraine” and for a Gaza ceasefire. The biblical town of Bethlehem marked a quiet Christmas amid conflicts in the Middle East.
Pope Francis used his midday “urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) blessing to appeal for a halt to fighting, or at least improved conditions for civilians, in the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” he said from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
Speaking about the conflict in Gaza, Francis called the humanitarian situation “extremely grave.”
“May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war,” he said, calling for the “doors of dialogue and peace to be flung open.”
The 88-year-old Argentine pontiff also made reference to Sudan’s civil war and ensuing famine.
“May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire,” Francis appealed.
The previous evening, Francis had urged people at a Christmas Eve mass to think of “the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals,” after another year of conflict.
