Pope Francis delivers Christmas message, calls for 'silence of arms'
Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi Message to the World from the central loggia of St. Peters Basilica at The Vatican on December 25, 2024 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Alessandra Benedetti - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Pope Francis delivered his annual Christmas message Wednesday, urging "all people of all nations … to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions."
The pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve to launch the 2025 Jubilee, as representing God’s mercy, which "unties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; it dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge."
His address, "Urbi et Orbi," or "To the City and the World," is a summary of the woes facing the world this year. Francis, speaking from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to throngs of people below, called for broad reconciliation, "even (with) our enemies."
Pope Francis calls for peace in Ukraine, Middle East
Francis called for arms to be silenced in war-torn Ukraine and in the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories, "particularly in Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave," as well as Lebanon and Syria "at this most delicate time."
Pope Francis suggests Israel's action are 'immoral'
In November, Pope Francis called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constitute 'genocide.' Francis said, "Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been immoral and disproportionate, and its military has gone beyond the rules of war."
Francis repeated his calls for the release of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
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He cited a deadly outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the suffering of the people of Myanmar, forced to flee their homes by "the ongoing clash of arms." The pope likewise remembered children suffering from war and hunger, the elderly living in solitude, those fleeing their homelands, who have lost their jobs, and are persecuted for their faith.
Jubilee brings 32 million Catholics to Rome
Pilgrims were lined up on Christmas Day to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica, as the Jubilee is expected to bring some 32 million Catholic faithful to Rome.
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Traversing the Holy Door is one way that the faithful can obtain indulgences, or forgiveness for sins during a Jubilee, a once-every-quarter-century tradition that dates from 1300.