Pope Francis on Wednesday delivered his annual “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) Christmas message and blessing from the Vatican, calling for peace and an end to ongoing conflicts around the world.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directly referred to the war between Russia and Ukraine and called for the “courage needed to open the doors of dialogue” during the address, which summed up the crises facing the world this year.
“Let the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” Francis told thousands of people gathered in the square below from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He also called for “indications of dialogue and encounter to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
Francis, 88, is celebrating his 12th Christmas papacy by calling for an end to political, social or military conflicts in places including Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
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Pope Francis gives a Christmas Day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year after he said the country should have the courage of a “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously refused to engage in peace talks without the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-war borders. But since Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, Zelensky has shown an increasing willingness to engage in talks.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky during a briefing with the press in Lviv, Ukraine on July 8, 2023. (Mykola Tyus/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Francis, who has recently become more critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
He described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “extremely serious” and called for “keeping the doors open to dialogue and peace”.
Families and relatives of hostages taken by Hamas during the terrorist group’s October 7 attack on Israel protest on the National Mall in Washington, DC, July 23, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Christmas marks the beginning of the 2025 Holy Year festivities, with some 32 million Catholics expected to visit Rome, according to the Associated Press.
Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to pass through the Great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica. Crossing the Holy Door is one way devotees can receive indulgence, or forgiveness for sins, during the Jubilee, a tradition that occurs once every quarter and dates back to 1300.
The faithful walk through the sacred doors of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, after they were opened by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve, marking the beginning of the Catholic 2025 Jubilee. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and walked through first, inaugurating the 2025 jubilee he dedicated to hope.
The Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness, and forgiveness.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
