Pope Francis has wished Christmas peace for people scarred by wars and those who lost loved ones to terrorism that he says is sowing “fear and death” in many cities and countries.
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday, Francis cited those suffering through the Syrian war, especially during the “most awful battles” in Aleppo. He pressed the international community for a negotiated solution. He urged Israelis and Palestinians to abandon hate and revenge.
He also lamented that in Nigeria “fundamentalist terrorism exploits even children,” a reference to child suicide-bombers.
He decried conflicts and tensions in Africa, eastern Ukraine, Myanmar, the Korean peninsula, Colombia and Venezuela.
Tens of thousands of faithful entering St. Peter’s Square endured long lines for security checks.
On Saturday night, Pope Francis celebrated a somber Christmas Eve Mass in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica. He urged Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus by thinking about the plight of today’s children, expressing dismay at the fate of those living in war zones, “hiding underground to escape bombardment, on the pavements of a large city, at the bottom of a boat overladen with immigrants.”
“Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children who are not allowed to be born, by those who cry because no one satiates their hunger, by those who do have not toys in their hands, but rather weapons,” he added.
Source: Fox
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