The Pope at Christmas: "Let hatred no longer continue to be fueled and a solution to the Palestinian question be found"

Intones 'No to war' and says that it can only be achieved with 'No to weapons'

The Pope once again referred first to the situation in the Middle East in his Christmas message by demanding that "violence and hatred not continue to be fueled, but that a solution to the Palestinian question be found through sincere dialogue." and perseverance between the parties, supported by strong political will and the support of the international community". "Brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace in Palestine and in Israel," he exclaimed.

He made this clear from the central loggia of the Vatican basilica, where he appeared to read the Christmas message and subsequently impose the 'urbi et orbi' blessing on all those who heard his message. Some 70,000 people have followed his message live this year, according to Vatican sources.

In this way, he hoped that peace would come to Israel and Palestine, "where war shakes the lives of these populations." "A hug to both, in particular to the Christian communities of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, and the entire Holy Land," she said.

The Pontiff recalled the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, assured that he carries in his heart the pain for the victims of this "execrable" action and has renewed his "urgent call" for the release of those still held captive. as hostages.

He has also pleaded for military operations to cease, with their "dramatic consequences" of innocent civilian victims, and for the "desperate" humanitarian situation to be remedied by allowing the arrival of aid.

Francis began his Christmas message by remembering Bethlehem, as he also did in the homily at the Christmas Eve Mass. "The eyes and hearts of Christians around the world are directed towards Bethlehem. There, where pain and silence reign these days, the announcement resounded that had been expected for centuries. A Savior has been born to them, who is the Messiah, the Lord" , he exclaimed.

The Pope has presided over his eleventh Christmas in the Vatican and in his public speeches the situation in the Middle East and these days, specifically, the difficulties for Christians in the Holy Land to celebrate Christmas are very present.

In fact, in the homily of the Christmas Eve Mass, celebrated this Sunday, the Pontiff began with a remembrance of the city of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, empty these days of pilgrims and without signs of celebration.

"Our heart tonight is in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace continues to be rejected by the losing logic of war with the roar of weapons that also today prevents him from finding a rest in the world," he stressed.

The Pontiff wondered in his message how many massacres of innocent people there are currently in the world: in the "womb, on the routes of the desperate who seek hope, in the lives of so many children whose childhood is devastated by war." . "They are the little Jesuses of today. These children whose childhood is devastated by war, by wars. Saying yes to the Prince of Peace means saying 'No to war', and this with courage, saying no to war, to every war, to the same logic of war," he reflected.

But he has also warned that to say 'No to war' it is necessary to say 'No to weapons'. "How can we talk about peace if the production, sale and trade of weapons increase? Today, as in the time of Herod, the intrigues of evil, which oppose the divine light, move in the shadow of the hypocrisy and concealment. How many massacres, due to weapons, occur in a deafening silence, hidden from everyone," he lamented.

In this sense, he has asked to know how much funds are allocated to weapons and to talk and write about it so that "the interests and benefits that pull the strings of wars are known."

"Isaiah, who prophesied the Prince of Peace, wrote of a day when one nation will not lift up a sword against another; he has written of a day when men will no longer train for war, but with their swords they will forge plows with their spears. With God's help let's get to work so that day comes," he urged.

PEACE IN “MARTYRED” UKRAINE

In his Christmas message, the Pontiff also remembered Ukraine, for which he "implored" peace. "Let us renew our spiritual and human closeness to his martyred people," he urged.

In addition, he has addressed the population of "martyred Syria, as well as that of Yemen, which "continues to suffer", and to the Lebanese people so that they "may soon recover political and social stability", and to Armenia and Azerbaijan, to May definitive peace come between both.

But he has also referred to the "tensions" and "conflicts" that disturb the regions of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. As well as the Korean peninsula, for which he has asked for fraternal ties, opening avenues of dialogue and reconciliation that can create the conditions for lasting peace.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE AMERICAN CONTINENT

He has also asked that El Niño inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find "ideal solutions that lead to overcoming social and political distinctions, to fight against forms of poverty that offend the dignity of people, to resolve inequalities and confront the painful phenomenon of migration".

"From the manger, the child asks us to be you of those who have no voice. Voice of the innocent, dead for lack of water and bread, voice of those who cannot find work or have lost it, voice of those who They are forced to flee their own homeland in search of a better future, risking their lives on exhausting trips and at the mercy of unscrupulous traffickers," he claimed.

Finally, Francis recalled that in a year the Jubilee will begin and has asked that this period of preparation be to say 'No to war' and "yes to peace."