Rome, 25 December 2024 – Pope Francis launches an appeal for peace in the traditional Christmas message pronounced from the Central Loggia of the Vatican Basilica before the the blessing of the 'City and the World'. “This Christmas, the beginning ofJubilee yearI invite every person, every people and nation to have the courage to cross the Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the weapons and to overcome divisions! Keep the weapons silent in the tormented Ukraine! Let us have the audacity to open the door to negotiation and gestures of dialogue and meeting, to arrive at a just and lasting peace. Let the weapons be silent Middle East“, says the pontiff, addressing “his thoughts to the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, in particular to dear community of Gazawhere the humanitarian situation is very serious.”
The pontiff gradually recalls the other theaters of war. “I am also close to the Christian community in Lebanonespecially in the south, and that in Syriain this delicate moment. May the doors of dialogue and peace be opened throughout the region, torn by conflict – says Bergoglio –. And I want to mention here also the Libyan peopleencouraging us to seek solutions that allow national reconciliation.” “The door is open, the door is wide open! It is not necessary to knock”, exhorts the Pope, recalling it to the minds of the faithful the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica which took place on the evening of Christmas Eve. “Come, let us be reconciled to God, and then we will be reconciled to ourselves and we can reconcile between us, even with our enemies”.
Pope Francis imparts the 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing from the Central Loggia of the Vatican Basilica (Ansa)
Francis then addresses a special thought “to the families of thousands of children dying from a measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to the populations of the East of that country and those of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique”. The humanitarian crisis affecting these countries, he wanted to underline, “is mainly caused by conflicts armed forces and the scourge of terrorism and is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate changeresulting in the loss of life and the displacement of millions of people. I also think of the populations of the countries of the Horn of Africa for whom I implore the gifts of peace, harmony and brotherhood. May the Son of the Almighty support the international community's efforts to foster access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and in starting new negotiations in view of a 'ceasefire'”. Likewise, the pontiff hopes, “the announcement of Christmas will bring comfort to the inhabitants of Myanmarwho, due to the continuous armed clashes, suffer serious suffering and are forced to flee from their homes”.
“May the Jubilee be an opportunity to break down all walls of separation: the ideological ones, which so often mark political life, and also the physical ones”, continues the Pope who cites the “division that has been affecting us for fifty years now the island of Cyprus”. And again: “May the Child Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent, so that effective solutions in truth and justice can be found as soon as possible, to promote social harmony, in particular ad Haiti, in Venezuela, Colombia e Nicaraguaand let us work, especially in this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of every person, overcoming political divisions”.
“May the Jubilee – the Pope continues – be an opportunity to forgive debts, especially those which burden the poorest countries”. Christ, concludes Bergoglio, “awaits each of us, especially the most fragile” from “children who suffer for war and hunger” to the elderly, often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment”, from “those who flee their homeland in an attempt to find a safe refuge” to those who have lost their jobs up to prisoners.
Finally, before the 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing, Bergoglio reminds us not to miss “our gratitude towards those who do their utmost for good in a silent and faithful way: I think of the parentseducators and teachersgarlic healthcare workerseveryone law enforcement agenciesto those engaged in charitable works, especially to missionaries scattered throughout the world.”