Pope calls for peace and halt arms on Christmas

Pope Francis has called for peace, asking that cease-fires be put in place where wars rage, and that world leaders forgive the debts “that burden the poorest countries.” In his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday, he urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. He called for “the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East.” His thoughts, he said, were with Christians in the Gaza Strip, “where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave” for all who live there. 

This Christmas, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite every individual, and all peoples and nations, to find the courage needed to walk through that Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions! #Christmas #Jubilee2025

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 25, 2024

The pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve to launch the 2025 Jubilee, as representing God’s mercy, which “unties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; it dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge.” Francis repeated his calls for the release of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Francis spoke from a balcony on the facade of the basilica. The tens of thousands packing the square cheered loudly when the pope appeared.Vatican and Italian bands played the Italian national anthem and the pontifical anthem. Francis is the sovereign of the Vatican City State.