Pope Francis usually shakes consciences on Christmas Day. The pontiff usually celebrates this holiday, one of the most important for Christians, with a message to the world in which he reviews, with a critical tone, the wars and crises that afflict humanity. From the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and before giving the blessing Urbi et Orbi(to the city and the world), Bergoglio has asked, also on this occasion, for the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to cease and has demanded solutions for the humanitarian and social crises that several countries in Africa and Latin America are going through.
The Argentine pontiff has called for “the weapons to remain silent in the martyred Ukraine”, after three years of war. And supported the idea of a negotiated solution to the conflict: “Let there be the audacity to open the door to negotiations and gestures of dialogue and encounter, to reach a just and lasting peace,” said Francisco.
He has also called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, plunged into chaos unleashed by the war between Israel and Palestine and the Syrian crisis after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “May the doors of dialogue and peace be opened throughout the region, torn by conflict,” the Pontiff prayed. In particular, he has denounced the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza and demanded the release of the hostages and help for the population. “With my eyes fixed on the cradle of Bethlehem, I direct my thoughts to the Christian communities of Israel and Palestine, in particular to Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious. “Let the fire cease, the hostages be released and the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped,” Francis cried.
The Pope especially remembered the Christian communities of Lebanon and Syria “in this very delicate moment.” He then mentioned the Libyan people, whom he encouraged to seek solutions that allow national reconciliation. The North African country, close to becoming a failed state, remains fragmented and torn by violence by armed groups 13 years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
From the Congo to Latin America
Francis has also prayed for “the families of thousands of children who are dying from the measles Pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, which is suffering from a resurgence of this disease that has never been eradicated there, with high mortality rates. The Pontiff in turn dedicated part of his speech to the populations of the east of the same African country, an area rich in minerals where fighting between armed groups and the Congolese army has resumed, despite the ceasefire signed in the summer.
The Pope has also mentioned the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. “The humanitarian crisis that hits them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the plague of terrorism and is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, which causes the loss of human life and the displacement of millions of people,” he noted.
In his message, Francis prayed for the countries of the Horn of Africa, for which he implored “the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity”, and called for the action of the international community to achieve peace in Sudan, which Since 2023, it has been the scene of a civil war that has caused millions of displaced people and thousands of deaths. “May the Son of the Almighty sustain the commitment of the international community to favor the access of the civilian population of Sudan to humanitarian aid and to launch new negotiations with the purpose of a ceasefire,” said Bergoglio.
The Pope also remembered Myanmar, plunged into poverty and ravaged by a multifaceted crisis since the military coup of 2021, and asked for consolation for its inhabitants, who “because of the continuous armed clashes, suffer great suffering and are forced to flee of their houses.”
The Argentine pontiff has also prayed that “the Child Jesus inspires the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent, in order to find effective solutions in truth and justice as soon as possible, to promote social harmony.” ”. Francis has referred in particular to Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, countries afflicted by political and social crises. The Pope has demanded that “work be done, especially during this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of each person, overcoming political divisions.” Bergoglio thus mentioned the Jubilee, the Holy Year, one of the most important events of the Catholic Church, which is celebrated every 25 years and which began this Christmas Eve.
At this beginning of the jubilee year, the Pontiff has urged all peoples and nations “to arm themselves with courage to become pilgrims of hope, to silence their weapons and overcome divisions.” And he has also demanded, as he did months ago, that the Jubilee be the occasion “to forgive debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries.”
