During his annual Christmas Day speech from the Vatican, Pope Francis stated that the world suffers from a “famine of peace” and demanded an end to the “senseless bloodshed” in Ukraine.
Prior to giving his tenth “Urbi et Orbi” — a blessing to the city of Rome and the world — Pope Francis urged individuals to look past the “shallow Christmas glitter” and assist those enduring hardships throughout the globe.
“Let us see the faces of all those youngsters who, all over the globe, yearn for peace,” he remarked on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.
“Let us also see the faces of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are spending Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes, as a result of ten months of war-related destruction.”
While the crisis in Ukraine, now in its tenth month, dominated the Pope’s 10-minute address, he also warned of a “famine of peace” in other parts of the world.
From the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis gives his traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the globe.
“The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the situation, placing entire populations at risk of starvation, particularly in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa,” he warned.
“We know that every war produces hunger and utilizes food as a weapon, impeding its distribution to already-suffering people,” he continued, adding that leaders should make food “exclusively a tool of peace.”
Humanity is experiencing a “grave hunger of peace” as the world celebrates the birth of the Prince of Peace, the pope said, citing conflicts and humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Myanmar, Haiti, and the Sahel region of Africa.
As the world celebrates the birth of the Prince of Peace, the pope stated that humanity is experiencing a “severe lack of peace.”
He also called for the restoration of Israeli-Palestinian dialogue in the Holy Land, the area where Jesus was born. In November, following deadly terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and confrontations in the occupied West Bank, the Pope made a similar appeal.
His message was followed by the traditional Urbi et Orbi benediction, which was recited in Latin and many other languages for audiences in the Vatican and around the world to see.
»Pope Francis: World suffers from ‘famine of peace,’ asks for end to Ukraine war«