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Pope Francis delivered his annual Christmas message “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) and a blessing from the Vatican on Wednesday, calling for peace around the world and an end to ongoing conflicts.
Leader Roman Catholic Church he directly mentioned the war between Russia and Ukraine and called for the “courage needed to open the door to negotiations” during a speech that serves as a summary of the troubles facing the world this year.
“Let the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” Francis said from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below. He also called for “gestures of dialogue and meeting, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
Francis, 88, is celebrating the 12th Christmas of his pontificate by calling for an end to conflict, political, social or military, in places including Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
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Pope Francis gave the speech “Urbi et Orbi” from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. (Vatican News/YouTube)
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year when he said the country should have the courage of a “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously ruled out the possibility of joining peace talks without restoring Ukraine’s pre-war borders. But Zelenskyy has shown an increasing willingness to enter into negotiations in the weeks following Donald Trump’s re-election as US president.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press briefing on July 8, 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Francis, who has recently become increasingly critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, also renewed his call for a ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war and for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
He called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “extremely difficult” and asked “to open the door of dialogue and peace wide”.
Protesters and relatives of hostages taken by Hamas during the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, U.S., Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Christmas marked the beginning of the 2025 Holy Year celebrations, which are expected to bring some 32 million Catholics to Rome, according to the Associated Press.
Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to pass through the great Holy Door at the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. Passing through the Holy Gate is one of the ways in which the faithful can receive indulgences or remissions of sins during the Jubilee, a tradition held every quarter of a century that dates back to the 1300s.
Thousands listen to Pope Francis give his Christmas message and blessing from the Vatican on December 25, 2024. (Vatican News/YouTube)
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On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to walk through it, opening the 2025 jubilee, which he dedicated to hope.
The Catholic Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and forgiveness.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
