Pope Francis on Sunday lamented that Jesus’ message of peace was being drowned out by the “futile logic of war” within the very land the place he was born, because the pontiff led the world’s Roman Catholics into Christmas.
Francis, celebrating the eleventh Christmas of his preach, presided at a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and spoke of the battle within the Holy Land in his homily.
“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,” Francis mentioned.
The 87-year-old pontiff spoke hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to combat deeper into the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after his troops endured one of many worst days of losses of their floor battle.
And within the metropolis the place Jesus was born, Palestinian Minister of Tourism, Rula Ma’ayah, mentioned: “Bethlehem is celebrating Christmas with sadness and sorrow because of what’s happening in Gaza and in all the West Bank, all Palestinian territories.”
On the papal Mass for six,500 individuals in St. Peter’s Basilica and extra watching on screens within the sq. outdoors, Mr. Francis mentioned the actual message of Christmas is peace and love, urging individuals to not be obsessive about worldly success and the “idolatry of consumerism”.
He spoke of “the all-too-human thread that runs through history: the quest for worldly power and might, fame and glory, which measures everything in terms of success, results, numbers and figures, a world obsessed with achievement”.
Mr. Francis mentioned that whereas many may discover it onerous to rejoice Christmas in “this world that is so judgmental and unforgiving”, they need to attempt to bear in mind what occurred on the primary Christmas.
“Tonight, love changes history,” he mentioned.
Mr. Francis has made quite a few appeals for a ceasefire within the battle raging in Gaza and has referred to as for the discharge of all hostages held by Palestinian militant teams.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, each sworn to Israel’s destruction, are nonetheless believed to be holding greater than 100 hostages from amongst 240 they captured throughout their Oct. 7 rampage via Israeli cities, once they killed 1,200 individuals.
Since then, Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip and laid a lot of it to waste, with greater than 20,400 individuals confirmed killed, in keeping with Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities, and hundreds extra believed lifeless below the rubble. The overwhelming majority of the two.3 million Gazans have been pushed from their properties and the United Nations says circumstances are catastrophic.
At midday (1100 GMT) on Monday, Mr. Francis will ship his Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the town and the world) message and blessing.