This year, Pope Francis’s Christmas message focused on “War and Peace.” AFP reported that the Pope delivered his official Christmas message, “Urbi et Orbi” (Latin for “to the city and the world”), to thousands of gathered crowds at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Christmas day.
The Pope expressed his hope that “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and gestures of dialogue and encounter to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
He also highlighted the urgent need for peace in the Gaza Strip, where the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues. Describing the humanitarian crisis there as “extremely grave,” he prayed for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and relief for those suffering from hunger and the effects of war.
The Pope called for greater humanitarian access in Sudan, devastated by civil war. He stressed the urgent need to end political, military, and social conflicts in Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
In a message marking the Catholic Jubilee, which began the day before, the Pope said, “I invite every individual, and all people of all nations … to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions.”
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