Pope Leo XIV on Thursday condemned the “rubble and open wounds” left behind by wars, singling out the dire humanitarian scenario in Gaza as he carried out his first Christmas homily.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” the pope mentioned on the mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
“How … can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold,” he mentioned.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the trustworthy as he performs the Christmas mass at St. Peter’s Basilica within the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2025.
Tiziana FABI / AFP by way of Getty Photos
In Bethlehem, the Christian group celebrated its first festive Christmas in additional than two years because the occupied West Financial institution metropolis emerged from the shadow of the battle in Gaza.
Heavy rains have battered Gaza in latest days — compounding the cruel circumstances of the Palestinian territory’s residents, almost all of whom had been displaced in the course of the battle.
The U.N. has mentioned an estimated 1.3 million individuals at the moment want shelter help in Gaza and has warned of the growing danger of hypothermia as temperatures dip.
Leo met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the Vatican final month. Based on a Vatican assertion, each leaders agreed on “the urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza” and to “end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,” which might see an unbiased Palestinian state created alongside Israel.
In a Christmas blessing Thursday, Leo additionally urged Russia and Ukraine to seek out the “courage” for direct talks following weeks of intense worldwide diplomacy to finish their almost four-year battle.
“May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue,” Leo mentioned.
In latest weeks, Russian and Ukrainian officers have spoken individually to U.S. negotiators about proposals to finish the battle began by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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