Pope Francis delivered his annual “Urbi e Orbi” (City and World) Christmas message and blessing from the Vatican on Wednesday, calling for peace around the world and an end to ongoing conflicts.
In a speech summarizing the hardships facing the world this year, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church made direct reference to the war between Russia and Ukraine and called for “the boldness necessary to open the door to negotiations.” Ta.
“May the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” Francis appealed from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to the thousands of spectators in the square below. He also called for “gestures of dialogue and encounter to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
Francis, 88, is celebrating his 12th Christmas as pontiff and calling for an end to political, social and military conflicts in Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua and other countries.
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Pope Francis delivered his “Urbi e Orbi” speech from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. (Vatican News/YouTube)
Francis, who has been on the papacy since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials earlier this year for saying that Ukraine should have the courage of a “white flag” when negotiating an end to the war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had previously ruled out joining peace talks unless Ukraine's pre-war borders were restored. However, Zelensky has become more interested in participating in negotiations in the weeks since Donald Trump's reelection as US president.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference in Lviv, Ukraine, July 8, 2023. (Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
President Francis, who has recently stepped up his criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza, also renewed his call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
He called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “extremely serious” and called for “the door to dialogue and peace to be thrown open.”
Relatives of demonstrators and hostages captured by Hamas in the extremist group's October 7 attack on Israel protest on the National Mall on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Washington, DC, USA. (Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Christmas marked the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, which are expected to draw some 32 million Catholics to Rome, according to the Associated Press.
Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday morning to pass through the large sacred doors at the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica. Passing through the Holy Door is one of the ways believers can obtain indulgences, or forgiveness of sins, during the Jubilee Year, a quarterly tradition dating back to 1300.
Thousands of people listen to Pope Francis' 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 enter, opening the 2025 Jubilee Year dedicated to hope.
The Catholic Jubilee Year, also known as the Jubilee Year, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness, and forgiveness.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
