Urbi et Orbi: Pope Francis uses Christmas address to call for ceasefire in Holy Land

Pope Francis has used his seasonal Urbi et Orbi address to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as for the release of hostages, adding that aid needs to be given to the people “worn out by hunger and by war.” He made his comments during the traditional Christmas blessing in St Peter’s Square.

The Christmas Urbi et Orbi address, “to the city and the world,” is traditionally a 360-degree review of a pope’s chief global concerns. This year Pope Francis focused on the rise of violence among nations in the world, following the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica yesterday evening to launch the 2025 Year of Jubilee.

The Urbi et Orbi address is usually given at Christmas and Easter, as well as after the election of a new pope. However, it can happen whenever a pope wants, and Pope Francis gave an extra Urbi et Orbi in March 2020 as the world began to face the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his address on Christmas Day, the Pope spoke about the beginning of the Jubilee. “Brothers and sisters, the door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to him! Let us go back to the heart that loves and forgives us! Let us be forgiven by him; let us be reconciled with him!” Pope Francis said.

“This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the Jubilee, which I opened last night here in Saint Peter’s Basilica: It represents Jesus, the Door of salvation open for all. Jesus is the Door that the Father of mercies has opened in the midst of our world, in the midst of history, so that all of us can return to him. We are all like lost sheep; we need a Shepherd and a Door to return to the house of the Father. Jesus is that Shepherd; Jesus is the Door,” the pontiff continued.

Turning to the situation around the world, Francis called for the “sound of arms” to be silenced in the Middle East. “In contemplating the Crib of Bethlehem, I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave,” he said.

“May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. I express my closeness to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that in Syria, at this most delicate time,” the Pope continued.

Francis then turned to the conflicts affecting the continent of Africa. “Here I also think of the Libyan people and encourage them to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation,” he said. “May the birth of the Saviour bring a new season of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from an outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the people of the East of that country, and of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. The humanitarian crisis that affects them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism, aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, resulting in the loss of life and the displacement of millions of people,” he went on.

“My thoughts also turn to the peoples of the nations of the Horn of Africa, for whom I implore the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity. May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire,” he said. Pope Francis also called for “the sound of arms be silenced” in war-torn Ukraine, which was suffered a full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace,” the Pope said.

In his address, Pope Francis told his hearers that God’s mercy can do all things. “It unties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; it dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge. Come! Jesus is the Door of Peace,” he said. “Often we halt at the threshold of that Door; we lack the courage to cross it, because it challenges us to examine our lives. Entering through that Door calls for the sacrifice involved in taking a step forward, leaving behind our disputes and divisions, and surrendering ourselves to the outstretched arms of the Child who is the Prince of Peace,” the Pope continued.

“This Christmas, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite every individual, and all peoples and nations, to find the courage needed to walk through that Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions!” he concluded.

The post Urbi et Orbi: Pope Francis uses Christmas address to call for ceasefire in Holy Land first appeared on Catholic Herald.

The post Urbi et Orbi: Pope Francis uses Christmas address to call for ceasefire in Holy Land appeared first on Catholic Herald.