UPDATE
Dec 25, 2023 6:34 AM CST
Pope Francis continued his theme about the tragedy of war in his Christmas Day message, denouncing the "instruments of death" that fuel such conflicts, reports the AP. Speaking from St. Peter's Basilica, the pope said he grieved both the "abominable attack" by Hamas on Israeli civilians in October, as well as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza that continues to this day in retaliation. He pleaded with Israel to end the "appalling harvest of innocent civilians," while also singling out the weapons-making industry. "How can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales, and trade are on the rise?" In another theme, he called for solutions to the "troubling phenomenon" of migrants and the "unscrupulous traffickers" who exploit them.
Dec 25, 2023 12:05 AM CST
Pope Francis made reference to the Israeli-Hamas war in a Christmas Eve homily to the faithful from Vatican City. "Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world," the pope said at St. Peter's Basilica, per NPR and Axios. This year, Christmas is essentially canceled in Bethlehem, which is usually packed with people visiting Manger Square, known as the birthplace of Jesus. The site is within the West Bank, and all festivities were shut down this year because of the nearby war in Gaza.
"We are close to our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war," the pope said earlier in his Angelus prayer. "We are thinking of Palestine, Israel, Ukraine. We are thinking, too, of all those who suffer from misery, from hunger, from slavery." The pope has pleaded for a ceasefire in Gaza, but comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday—"we have no choice but to continue fighting"—made clear that will not be happening soon. In his Christmas Eve address, the pope also warned against the "idolatry of consumerism," notes the AP. The 87-year-old used a wheelchair to leave the mass.
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