In his first Christmas Day address, Pope Leo XIV highlighted conditions in Gaza, saying its inhabitants “have nothing left and have lost everything,” as he called for peace talks to end conflicts around the world.
The Pope, speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s basilica Thursday, urged his audience to pray for the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to find the “courage” to engage in direct talks to end the war. His plea comes at a time when the Trump administration has been trying to negotiate a peace deal.
During the Urbi et Orbi address — Latin for “To the City and to the World’’ — Leo, like his predecessor, Pope Francis, spoke about the plights of refugees, those fleeing climate disasters and victims of religious persecution and terrorism.
He called for “justice, peace and stability ” in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Syria, as well as for all the victims of ongoing conflicts, while also urging his listeners to take responsibility for the state of the world.
“If all of us, at every level, would stop accusing others and instead acknowledge our own faults … and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,” he said.
The Pope highlighted multiple crises during his address, mentioning that he wants to pay particular attention to “forgotten” conflicts, naming those in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also mentioned the “hunger and poverty” of the Yemeni people and the violence afflicting Haiti.
The Pope prayed for the leaders of Latin America to engage in dialogue that results in positive change for their countries, for peace in Myanmar and for “the ancient friendship between Thailand and Cambodia” to be restored so that they may “work toward reconciliation and peace.” Thailand and Cambodia, where hostilities have flared recently, will engage in detailed bilateral talks about a durable ceasefire this week, Thailand’s foreign minister said Monday.
The Pope also decried the plight of homeless people and those impacted by conflict, in an earlier sermon during Christmas Day Mass. Jesus’ story, he said, showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he said. “And of those of so many other refugees and displaced people on every continent? Or of the makeshift shelters of thousands of homeless people in our own cities?”
People around the world are still learning about the Pope Leo’s style and persona — the first American-born pontiff and first Augustinian to be elevated to the role when he was elected pope by the College of Cardinals in May.
Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square Thursday for the address, and the Pope revived the tradition of wishing the audience Christmas greetings in multiple languages, the AP reported. He received an especially warm reception when he spoke in his native English and in Spanish, a language he speaks fluently from his time as a missionary in Peru where he was an archbishop.
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