Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in first Christmas sermon

At a ceremony attended by thousands of people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, Leo also lamented the plight of homeless people around the world and the devastation caused by war in general.

“The fragile is the flesh of defenseless peoples who have gone through many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” the Pope said.

“The minds and lives of young people who are forced to take up arms, who feel the meaninglessness of what is required of them on the front lines and the lies that fill the bombastic speeches of those who send them to their deaths, are fragile,” he said.

In his appeal during the Pope’s “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing at Christmas and Easter, Leo called for an end to all global wars.

Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he lamented conflicts, political, social or military, in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, and Thailand and Cambodia, among others.

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Leo said people in Ukraine were “tormented” by the violence, where Russian troops are threatening cities critical to the country’s eastern defense.

“Let the gunfire cease and let the parties concerned find the courage to engage in frank, direct and respectful dialogue with the support and determination of the international community,” the Pope said.

For Thailand and Cambodia, where border clashes are in their third week and at least 80 people have died, Leo called for the restoration of the nations’ “ancient friendship” to “work for reconciliation and peace.”

Reuters