VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in his Christmas message on Sunday, saying the world was suffering from a “peace famine”.
Speaking the blessing and message of his pontificate “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and to the world) for the 10th Christmas, he also urged people to look beyond the “superficial twinkles of the holidays” and help the homeless, immigrants, refugees and the poor in their lives. in the middle of the search for comfort, warmth and food.
“Let’s see the faces of all those children who, all over the world, yearn for peace,” he said, speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the same spot from which he is first appeared as pope when elected. on March 13, 2013.
“Let us also see the faces of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who live this Christmas in the dark and the cold, far from home because of the ravages caused by ten months of war”, he said, addressing tens of thousands of people. in the square below.
He spoke just hours after air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine and a day after Kyiv announced a Russian strike on the recently liberated city of Kherson killed at least five people and injured 35 others on Saturday in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a gratuitous killing for fun.
“May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to help all who suffer, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of guns and put an immediate end to this war senseless!” francis said.
The conflict in Ukraine, he said, should not lessen concern for people whose lives have been devastated by other conflicts or humanitarian crises, citing among others Syria, Myanmar, Iran, Haiti and the Sahel region of Africa.
“Our era is experiencing a serious famine of peace…”, he declared.
Francis called for a resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, the birthplace of Jesus.
This year has seen the worst levels of violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in more than a decade, with at least 150 Palestinians and more than 20 Israelis killed.
While many sat around a “well-spread table”, huge amounts of food were wasted every day and resources were spent on weapons, he said.
He again condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, saying the war in Ukraine had put millions at risk of starvation, mentioning Afghanistan and countries in the Horn of Africa.
Speaking the blessing and message of his pontificate “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and to the world) for the 10th Christmas, he also urged people to look beyond the “superficial twinkles of the holidays” and help the homeless, immigrants, refugees and the poor in their lives. in the middle of the search for comfort, warmth and food.
“Let’s see the faces of all those children who, all over the world, yearn for peace,” he said, speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the same spot from which he is first appeared as pope when elected. on March 13, 2013.
“Let us also see the faces of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who live this Christmas in the dark and the cold, far from home because of the ravages caused by ten months of war”, he said, addressing tens of thousands of people. in the square below.
He spoke just hours after air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine and a day after Kyiv announced a Russian strike on the recently liberated city of Kherson killed at least five people and injured 35 others on Saturday in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a gratuitous killing for fun.
“May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to help all who suffer, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of guns and put an immediate end to this war senseless!” francis said.
The conflict in Ukraine, he said, should not lessen concern for people whose lives have been devastated by other conflicts or humanitarian crises, citing among others Syria, Myanmar, Iran, Haiti and the Sahel region of Africa.
“Our era is experiencing a serious famine of peace…”, he declared.
Francis called for a resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, the birthplace of Jesus.
This year has seen the worst levels of violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in more than a decade, with at least 150 Palestinians and more than 20 Israelis killed.
While many sat around a “well-spread table”, huge amounts of food were wasted every day and resources were spent on weapons, he said.
He again condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, saying the war in Ukraine had put millions at risk of starvation, mentioning Afghanistan and countries in the Horn of Africa.
