Vatican City, Dec 25, 2024 / 12:54 pm

Pope Francis on Christmas Day delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi address and blessing in Vatican City, inviting all individuals and nations to “silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.”

Delivering his Christmas Day message overlooking crowds of thousands of international pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square from the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope insisted that a “just and lasting peace” can only be achieved in our world if people first turn to the “Father of Mercies.”

“Let us be reconciled with God,” he said. “Then we will be reconciled with ourselves and able to be reconciled with one another, even our enemies.”

“God’s mercy can do all things. It unties every knot. It tears down every wall of division.”

Having opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve to usher in the 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis continued his plea on Wednesday to all people of good will to be “pilgrims of hope.”

“Let’s open to him the doors of our hearts as he has opened to us the doors of his heart,” he said during his Dec. 25 message.

‘Boldness’ needed to negotiate peace in Ukraine and the Middle East

The Holy Father used the address to call on country leaders to “open the door” to dialogue and encounter, voicing his particular concern for vulnerable communities daily impacted by war, violence, and political unrest.

“May the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” the pope urged. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation, and to gestures of dialogue and encounter.”

The Holy Father also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and his spiritual closeness with Christian communities spread across Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Libya.

“May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region devastated by conflict!” he said.

Calls for end to ‘scourge of terrorism’ in Africa

The Pope also prayed for a “new season of hope” for populations in the Horn of Africa, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mozambique and Sudan.

“The humanitarian crisis that affects them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change,” he said.

For Sudan, the Holy Father prayed especially that God “sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population” and for renewed negotiations towards a ceasefire between warring factions.

Respecting the rights and dignity of each person

Drawing upon the theme of “hope,” Francis prayed for political authorities in Myanmar, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Cyprus, to bring back peace in their countries.

“May they work, especially in this jubilee year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person overcoming political divisions,” he said.

“May this jubilee be an opportunity to tear down walls of separation and the ideological walls that so often mark political life,” he added.