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

Vatican City: In his Christmas homily, Pope Leo condemned the conditions of Palestinians in Gaza, making an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn and spiritual ceremony on the day Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus.

US’s first Pope Leo said the story of Jesus’ birth in a stable shows God “pitching his fragile tent” among the people of the world.

“So how can we not think about the tents in Gaza that have been exposed to rain, wind and cold for weeks?” he asked.

Leo, who celebrated his first Christmas after being chosen by world cardinals in May as the successor of the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and generally avoids political references in his sermons.

At a later Christmas celebration, the Pope, who made caring for immigrants a central theme of his first papacy, also lamented the plight of immigrants and refugees “traversing the American continent.”

Leo, who has criticized US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants in the past, did not mention Trump. In his Christmas Eve homily the day before, the Pope said refusing to help the poor and strangers was tantamount to rejecting God.

Leo condemns ‘rubble and open wounds’ of war

The new pope has lamented the situation of Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told reporters last month that the only solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense Israeli bombardment and military operations following a deadly attack on Israeli communities by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023. Humanitarian organizations say little aid is still being sent to Gaza, where almost the entire population is homeless.

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.

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

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