Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to “silence the sound of weapons of mass destruction and division” that haunt the world from the Middle East to Ukraine, from Africa to Asia during this Holy Year. Muster up the courage to overcome it.
The Pontiff’s “Urbi et Orbi” – “To the City and the World” – address serves as a summary of the problems facing the world this year. As Christmas coincides with the beginning of the 2025 Holy Year celebrations that he has dedicated to hope, Francis called for widespread reconciliation, “even [with] Our enemies.”
Addressing the crowd from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope said, “I invite every person and every nation…to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of weapons and to overcome divisions. Am.”
Christmas around the world
The Pope invoked the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which he opened on Christmas Eve to launch the 2025 Jubilee, to represent God’s mercy, which “unties every knot; It breaks down every wall of division; It removes the feeling of hatred and revenge.”
He called for a denuclearization of war-torn Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories, “especially in Gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely dire,” as well as in Lebanon and Syria. . This is the most delicate time.”
Francis reiterated his call for the release of hostages taken by Israel in October by Hamas. 7, 2023.
He cited the deadly outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the suffering of people in Myanmar who have been forced to flee their homes due to “ongoing armed clashes.” The Pope also remembered children suffering from war and hunger, elderly people living in isolation, people fleeing their homeland, those who have lost their jobs and those persecuted for their faith.
Pilgrims lined up on Christmas Day to pass through the Great Holy Door at the entrance to St Peter’s Basilica, as some 32 million Catholic faithful are expected to flock to Rome for the Jubilee.
Crossing the Holy Door is one way devotees can receive indulgence, or forgiveness for sins, during the Jubilee, a tradition that occurs once every quarter and dates back to 1300.
Pilgrims pass through security controls before entering the Holy Door, amid new security fears after a deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany. Many people passing by stopped to touch the doors and make the sign of the cross as they entered the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
“When you walk through the door you feel so humbled that once you go in it’s almost like a release, a release of emotions,” said Blanca Martin, a pilgrim from San Diego. “…It’s almost like a release of emotions, you feel like you can now let go of everything and put everything in God’s hands. Look I’m getting emotional. It’s just a beautiful experience. “
A Chrismukkah Miracle as Hanukkah and Christmas Coincide
Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day festival of lights, begins on Christmas Day this year, which has happened only four times since 1900.
The calendar confluence has prompted some religious leaders to host inter-faith gatherings, such as a Hanukkah party hosted last week by several Jewish organizations in Houston, Texas, bringing members of the city’s Latino and Jewish communities together for lattes. Lana, a traditional potato pancake eaten on Hanukkah, topped with guacamole and salsa.
While Hanukkah is intended to be an upbeat, celebratory holiday, rabbis say it’s happening this year as wars flare up in the Middle East and fears grow over widespread incidents of anti-Semitism. The holidays rarely overlap because the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle and does not keep pace with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas in December. 25. The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005.
Iraqi Christians hold on to their faith
With security concerns about the future, Christians from the Nineveh Plains attend Christmas Mass at Mar Georgis Church in the center of Telaskaf, Iraq on Tuesday. “We feel that they will pull the rug from under our feet any time. Our fate here is unknown,” said Bayda Nadhim, a resident of Telaskaf.
Iraq’s Christians, whose presence there dates back almost to the time of Jesus Christ, belong to many rites and denominations. They were once a large minority in Iraq, estimated to number around 1.4 million.
But the community has declined steadily since the US-led invasion in 2003 and when the Islamic State terrorist group swept into the region in 2014. The exact number of Christians remaining in Iraq is unclear, but they are believed to number several hundred thousand.
German festival overshadowed by market attack
Germany’s celebrations were overshadowed by a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday, which killed five people, including a 9-year-old boy, and injured 200. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated his recorded Christmas Day speech to address the attack, saying, “There is sadness, pain, fear and incomprehension over what happened in Magdeburg.” He urged Germans to “stand together” and said that “hate and violence must not be considered the last word.”
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor, who has practiced medicine in Germany since 2006, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. The suspect’s X account describes him as a former Muslim and is filled with anti-Islamic themes. He criticized the authorities for failing to combat the “Islamization of Germany” and expressed support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
