Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas since his election by denouncing the suffering of the people of Gaza and calling for the guns to fall silent in Ukraine.
On Christmas Day, the first U.S.-born pope offered the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, surveying a world filled with conflict from Yemen to Myanmar and calling for compassion for those who have fled their homeland to seek a future in Europe and America.
The Pope began by calling for "justice, peace and stability" for Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria.
It is known that since his election, Leo has highlighted the plight of those suffering in Gaza and has spoken out calling for better treatment of migrants.
Leo also used his Christmas blessing to pray for "the people of Ukraine," who have resisted Russia's occupation for nearly four years.
"I hope that the sound of the guns will cease and that the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, will find the courage to engage in a sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," Leo said.
In his sermon, Leo spoke of the “wisdom” of the Christmas story, saying that “while humanity seeks to become “god” to dominate others, God chooses to become man to free us from every form of slavery.”
A day earlier, the Pope said he felt "great sadness" that Russia had not agreed to a Christmas ceasefire in its war against Ukraine, saying he hoped for "at least 24 hours" of peace. /Telegraph/
