The conflicts that stain the world with blood were this Monday at the epicenter of the Pope’s Urbi et Orbi Blessing on Christmas Day. “The people, who do not want weapons but bread, who fight to get ahead and demand peace, do not know how much public money is spent on weapons. However, they should know! Let them talk about it, let it be written, so that they are known the interests and profits that pull the strings of wars.
Francis appeared in the central Lodge of Saint Peter for his planetary message of peace, and, as he explored the pains of the world, he could only begin this year from “Israel and Palestine, where war shakes the lives of those populations,” sighing: ” I embrace you all, in particular the Christian communities of Gaza and the entire Holy Land. I carry in my heart the pain for the victims of the atrocious attack of October 7 and I renew an urgent call for the release of those still held hostage I ask for an end to military operations, with their terrible consequences of innocent civilian victims, and that the desperate humanitarian situation be remedied by opening the door to the arrival of aid. That violence and hatred not continue to be fomented, but that find a solution to the Palestinian question, through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, backed by firm political will and the support of the international community.”
On the day of Jesus’ birth, “the eyes and hearts of Christians around the world are directed to Bethlehem: there, where pain and silence reign these days, the announcement that has been expected for centuries resounds: ‘You have born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'” Francis focused first and foremost on the innocent: “In Scripture, the Prince of Peace opposes the ‘prince of this world’ who, by sowing death, acts against the Lord, the ‘lover of life.’ We see it in action in Bethlehem when, after the birth of the Savior, the massacre of the innocents takes place. How many massacres of innocents in the world: in the womb, on the routes of the desperate in search of hope, in the lives of so many children whose childhood is devastated by war. They are the little Jesuses of today.”
Therefore, “to say ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace is to say ‘no’ to war, to all war, to the very logic of war, a path without a goal, defeat without winners, madness without excuses,” exclaimed the Pope. , who insisted: “But to say ‘no’ to war we must say ‘no’ to weapons. Because if the man, whose heart is unstable and wounded, finds in his hands instruments of death, sooner or later he will use them.” “And how can we talk about peace if the production, sale and trade of arms increase?”
Francisco’s denunciation of the arms trade was especially harsh. At the same time, he did not hesitate to go beyond Israel and Palestine and took stock and reflected on the situation throughout the planet: “My thoughts are with the people of tormented Syria, as well as with those of Yemen who continue to suffer. I think in the dear Lebanese people and I pray that they soon recover political and social stability. With my eyes fixed on the Child Jesus I implore peace for Ukraine. And that the day of definitive peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan approaches, that it favors the continuation of humanitarian initiatives, the return of the displaced to their homes in legal and safe conditions, and the reciprocal respect for the religious traditions and places of worship of each community.
The Pope then invited us not to forget “the tensions and conflicts that disturb the Sahel region, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. And may the day come when “fraternal ties on the Korean Peninsula are strengthened, opening paths of dialogue and reconciliation that can create the conditions for lasting peace.”
And he continued: “May the Son of God inspire the political authorities and all men of good will on the American continent, to find adequate solutions to overcome social and political disagreements, fight against forms of poverty that offend the dignity of people, smooth out inequalities and confront the painful phenomenon of migration”.
As a farewell, Jorge Bergoglio took the opportunity to talk about the Jubilee. “The time of grace and hope of the Jubilee is approaching, which will begin in a year. May this period of preparation be an opportunity to say ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace; to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the slaves and the liberation of the prisoners.”