Pope Francis calls for ‘ceasefire on all war fronts’ at Christmas

Vatican City, Dec 22, 2024 / 11:50 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday lamented the ongoing war and violence affecting families in Gaza and other parts of the world in the lead-up to Christmas and called for a “ceasefire on all war fronts.”

“With sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machine-gunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals… So much cruelty!” the pope remarked during his Angelus address, which he gave via a video livestream from his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold.

More than 28 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed — including four children at the Musa Bin Nusayr school repurposed as a shelter for displaced families — after Israeli airstrikes hit the city overnight and early Sunday morning, The Guardian reported.

“Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas,” the Holy Father urged.

Pope Francis decried all violent attacks in “tortured Ukraine, particularly those that have damaged schools, hospitals, and churches throughout the Eastern European nation since it was invaded by Russia in 2022.

“May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!” he insisted on Sunday.

At least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been killed since February 2022, 127 of whom were killed in 2024 alone, according to a BBC report.

Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Pope Francis has repeated calls to free prisoners of war and assured the Holy See’s readiness to assist in such efforts.

In September, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova via video conference to discuss matters including the mutual exchange of soldiers detained in Russia and Ukraine.

Since the 2022 Russian invasion, Pope Francis has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on four separate occasions, three of which took place in the Vatican.

During the Angelus address, the pope also expressed his concern and closeness for the people of Mozambique who are this month expecting a formal ruling on the outcome of the country’s contested Oct. 9 elections.

“I wish to reiterate my message of hope, peace, and reconciliation to that beloved people,” Francis said. “I pray that dialogue and the quest for the common good, supported by faith and goodwill, may prevail over mistrust and discord.”

Since October, dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in the East African nation. Amnesty International reported more than 30 people were killed in a single week earlier this month.

Catholic World Report