“Let us silence the weapons in tortured Ukraine,” Pope Francis said in his Christmas message in St. Peter’s Square. “Please have the courage to open the door to negotiations, dialogue and meetings to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he appealed. The Pope also called for a halt to fighting in the Middle East.
In a message broadcast from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at noon on Christmas Day, the Pope spoke about the situation in Ukraine.
– Silence the guns in tortured Ukraine. He appealed to everyone to have the courage to open the door to negotiations and make gestures of dialogue and meeting to achieve a just and lasting peace.
– Silence the guns in the Middle East. Turning to the cradle of Bethlehem, Francis said that my thoughts go to the Christian communities of Israel and Palestine, and especially to the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation is extremely dire.
Pope Francis: May reach out to a weary nation
“May the fires stop and the hostages freed so they can reach their starving and war-weary people,” the pope added.
He also expressed closeness to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south and, as he noted, “Syria at this very sensitive time.”
“Let us open the door to dialogue and peace across the conflict-torn region,” he urged.
The pope then blessed “Urbi e Orbi,” or “the city and the world.”
Your browser does not support video players… Read more
Want to get the latest news?
We are preparing an application for your phone. Please check it out!
