Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. The real Pope Francis. Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
- Pope Francis called children whose lives were destroyed by war the “little Jesuses” of today.
- He said he hoped for peace “in Israel and Palestine.”
- The pope said he particularly embraces the Christian communities in Gaza and the parish in Gaza.
In a Christmas address, Pope Francis called for peace and a solution to the “desperate humanitarian situation” in Gaza. His comments came after Christmas in Bethlehem was canceled amid the Israel-Hamas war, with streets normally busy and tourism empty.
Pope Francis said he hoped for peace “in Israel and Palestine, where war is destroying the lives of these peoples.” He said he embraces them all, especially the Christian communities in Gaza and the parish of Gaza. He also reiterated his “urgent appeal for the release of those still held hostage.”
“My heart mourns for the victims of the heinous attack of October 7th,” Pope Francis said.
In his address, the Pope called for “an end to military operations” and called for a solution to the “depressed humanitarian situation.”
He called “all the little ones whose childhood was destroyed by the war” the “little Jesus of today.”
According to the Hamas-affiliated Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 20,000 Gazans have died and over 50,000 have been injured in the war between Israel and Hamas, following Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis and injured thousands. A United Nations report found that half a million people in Gaza – one in four households – are suffering from food shortages and hunger.
Pope Francis has previously said that the Israeli and Palestinian people “have the right to live in peace.” Earlier this month he condemned an attack on a Catholic community in Gaza.
“Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.' “Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” Francis said after the attack.
In his Christmas address, the Pope also called for increased arms production and for public funds to be allocated to war rather than food. He spoke out against “the interests and profits that the puppets of war set in motion” and called for peace worldwide, including in Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
“People who do not want weapons but bread, who struggle to make ends meet and only want peace, have no idea how much public money is spent on weapons,” Francis said.
He also called for: “Let us pray for peace in Palestine and Israel.”
“May the fomentation of violence and hatred come to an end,” Pope Francis said.
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