In his Christmas address, the Pope spoke about wars and massacres – and made a comparison.
Pope Francis condemned abortion as a “massacre” in his Christmas message. The 87-year-old, who has been at the head of the Catholic Church for more than a decade, compared abortions, among other things, to war and flight: “How many massacres of innocents there are in the world: in the womb, on the routes of the desperate, who are looking for hope in the lives of so many children whose childhoods are destroyed by war.” Francis is known as a strict opponent of abortion. He has also described abortions as “murder”. Here you can read more about it.
On Christmas Day, in front of tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Francis called for peace in conflict regions such as Ukraine, Syria and the Sahel. He also condemned the arms industry’s business.
Pope also recalls lesser-noticed conflicts
The Pope called for immediate peace in the Gaza war and a lasting solution to the Middle East conflict at the negotiating table. “I beg that the military operations with their horrific consequences of innocent civilian casualties be stopped,” said the head of the Catholic Church.
The pontiff also addressed other conflict regions in his speech, but only relatively briefly. Regarding the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which will soon last two years, he said: “With my eyes firmly fixed on the baby Jesus, I pray for peace for Ukraine. We once again express our spiritual and human closeness to its tormented people.” Francis also recalled that many conflicts in the world do not receive much attention. “How many armed massacres take place in deafening silence without many people knowing about them!”
Pope Francis speaks about Israel and Gaza
After his speech, the head of a total of 1.3 billion Catholics gave the Urbi et Orbi blessing, i.e. the city and the world. Francis had previously drawn attention to the fate of the people in the Middle East during the Christmas mass on Christmas Eve.
Christmas in the Holy Land will be celebrated very quietly this year because of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. There are hardly any tourists in Bethlehem in the West Bank – the birthplace of Jesus Christ, according to tradition – and Jerusalem.
Demanded release of hostages
The Pope said in his address: “Let us not continue to incite violence and hatred, but bring the Palestinian question to a solution through a sincere and persistent dialogue between the parties, supported by strong political will and support the international community.”
At the same time, he demanded that Hamas release all hostages. Francis described their attack on Israel on October 7 as “despicable.” He called on Israel to allow more aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
Pope: No to guns
In his Christmas speech, the pontiff also castigated the work of the arms industry, which makes huge profits from wars and conflicts. “To say ‘no’ to war, you have to say ‘no’ to weapons,” Francis said. “For if the man whose heart is unstable and wounded has instruments of death in his hands, sooner or later he will use them.” The Pope spoke of “the machinations of evil that oppose the divine light, in the shadow of hypocrisy and secrecy.” The interests and profits of the “masterminds of the wars” must be made public.
The Pope gave the blessing while standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He remained seated during the speech. The 87-year-old has been struggling with his health for some time, including a knee problem.
